


Gonna Make Me Love You

by tothebeatofmydrum



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Fisting, Anal Sex, Blowjobs, Daddy Kink, Deal With It, Dirty Talk, Dry Orgasms, Eren's been through so much, Fighter!Levi, Happy Ending, I Ain't Sorry, Levi is taller, Levi just wants to love Eren, M/M, Masturbation, Multiple Orgasms, Passionate Sex, Pining!Levi, Praise Kink, Rimming, Rough Sex, Smut, These boys are so in love, Waking Up in Vegas, You're Welcome, a little bit of Jean and Eren I'm so sorry, bottom!Eren, dancer!eren, emotional!eren, eren has a daddy kink, ereri, i kinda made levi taller ok, levi is fucking obsessed, levi likes it a lot, like a lot of smut, riren - Freeform, this is such trash i'm sorry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-18
Updated: 2018-10-23
Packaged: 2018-12-03 21:10:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 73,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11540502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tothebeatofmydrum/pseuds/tothebeatofmydrum
Summary: Becoming the manager for the undefeated Jiu-Jitsu fighter, Levi Ackerman, wasn't exactly on Eren Jaeger's bucket list. But what are you suppose to do when your Dad cuts up your credit cards, kicks you out, and your boyfriend dumps you?Eren can probably tell you what you're not suppose to do.First, don't almost have sex with your new boss.Second, don't let him start pining after you.And last but certainly not the least, you probably shouldn't get drunk with him and get hitched in Vegas.But have you seen those muscles?





	1. You Want Me to Be Your What, Now?

**Author's Note:**

> I've been in the fic business for longer than I care to admit, but this is my first (posted) Ereri fic, and my first fic on this website. I've suddenly got an embarrassingly vast amount of time on my hands sooooo enjoy!!! ;)

_Chapter 1_

“Oh, Eren, sweetie don’t worry!” Armin rubbed enthusiastically on my back as I sobbed into my hands, elbows on my knees, hunched over on the couch like some kind of sad person. Sad, lonely, and sudden very broke. “I’m sure your Dad was just upset about…y’know—the money stuff. You guys will talk it out and he’ll give you those credit cards back! And you still have dance! You love dancing! And Jean, well…Jean’s an ass. And you always complained about the sex, so—!”

“What does sex matter, Armin?!” I sobbed disgustingly. “It’s not about the lame sex! It’s about the fact that not only am I poor—I won’t even have stupid fucking Jean to take care of me! He was so fucking rich, Armin!”

“Eren,” Armin said soothingly. “You can’t marry a man just for his money.”

I sniffled, wiping angrily at my tears and glaring up at Armin. “Then why the hell would you marry?”

“Oh, dear,” Armin sighed. I couldn’t really bring myself to care how uncomfortable Armin looked. “Well—Eren, you’d marry someone because you’re in love with them. And there’d be passion, and care, and…” Armin sighed, rolling his eyes. “Who am I kidding? I’m talking to _you_.”

“No, no,” I protested, trying to bring my voice down to a gentler tone. “Keep going.”

“Well,” Armin smiled, leaning back into the fluffy couch cushions, still rubbing circles into my back. “For one, you wouldn’t care how much money you had as long as you were together. Two, you’d do _anything_ for them. And the sex wouldn’t be lame—it’d be really awesome, because you’re so in love.”

I thought for a moment, staring at Armin in slight disbelief. I had two choices—say what I was really thinking, or lie and pretend all of that sounded even remotely real. I went with my first option. “That all sounds like a load of horse shit.”

Armin laughed, much to my surprise. “Look, I have an idea. Why don’t we get out of this house? Stop thinking about money, no more thinking about stupid Jean, or lame sex—“

I snorted, wiping fresh tears that fell without my permission. “As if I ever thought about the lame sex.”

Armin shoved me gently with his shoulder. “You wanna hear my idea, or not? Krista’s gonna be one of those girls at fights—the ones that walk inside of the ring half naked carrying signs that say “round one.” You wanna go?”

I glared at Armin. “I’m not going to another one of those lame WWA things—“

“It’s WWE, Eren. Not WWA. And it’s not one of those, either. It’s for those huge MMA matches. Y’know—Mixed Martial Arts? I guess the last match is between these two guys who’ve been rivals for years. It’s suppose to be a really big deal. Come, won’t you?"

I sighed, looking around Armin’s apartment to avoid making eye contact. “I don’t know, Armin—“

“We get to go back stage and all the guys are really hot and sweaty—plus we’re sitting in front of the cage.”

He had me at hot and sweaty. “Okay, yeah, I’ll go.”  
  
***

I’d managed to pull myself together enough to shower, change my clothes, and get into the front seat of Armin’s car. Armin’s car wasn’t the nicest, just a Honda Civic or something like that. But it was better than an Uber, which was how I’d had to get to Armin’s in the first place, since Dad took away my Porsche.

It was a fifty-five minute drive into New York City, and it was mostly spent with me asking Armin personal questions about his sex life, which he’d always been shy about. That’s probably why I always asked—it was always so adorable when Armin got all blush-y. As far as I was concerned, Armin hadn’t lost his virginity until he was like, twenty-two. Not that that’s a problem, except that we’re both twenty-three now, and I’m not sure Armin’s touched a dick since.

“Eren, _please_ stop asking—“

“Oh, come on, Armin!” I pleaded. “I’ve spent five years of my life laying like a vegetable under a man who could only last for like, four seconds. And I never got to come once. Give me dirty details! Please!”

Armin laughed. “You want to get horny off of my sex life?”

I laughed, too. I missed Armin. “Yeah, kinda. I haven’t been horny in five years. And if I was, it went completely unnoticed.”

“Eren, that’s so sad.” We were both laughing, crying, ugly messes now in Armin’s car, uncontrollable laughter overriding some Justin Bieber song playing throughout the Civic. It was only in moments like these, when I was actually able to laugh so hard I cried in my darkest moments, that I was even remotely convinced that love existed. What if Armin was right? What if I could actually fall in love with someone who could make me laugh like Armin did?

It was just as Armin finished one of his dirty sex stories that we pulled into a free parking space within walking distance of the Center where the fight would be held.

It was incredibly crowded in the city. New York City was busy anyways, but now it was even worse because of this big, serious fight. Restaurants were packed, lines going out the doors. The outdoor TV’s at some of the sports bars showed some pre-fight stuff—old fights, weigh-ins, fighters trash talking other fighters. The usual stuff.

“Apparently, one of the guys fighting in the last match is like, some huge deal. Unlike everyone else, he literally never trash talks anyone he fights. He just remains silent and, to be honest, it’s actually way scarier than it’d be if he claimed he would smash someone’s head in.”

I pursed my lips. “I wonder if he’s hot.”

Armin laughed. “No clue—we’ll find out I guess.”

It took longer than strictly necessary to get to our seats. The entire arena was filled with drunk men and women, loud music, people screaming about who’d win what match against who, and people making bets.

I laughed when I saw a man punch another man in the face, and they both got dragged away by security. “This is incredible.”

Armin smirked at me as we reached our seats. “Glad my best friend has a secret taste for danger.”

I bit my lip, looking around at all of the hot men around me. “Hot damn. I’m gonna come here more often.”

Armin cleared his throat, leaning closer so that I could hear him over the music, which had suddenly begun blasting. “Eren, I have something to tell you. We’re actually here for my work—“

“What? Seriously?”

“If it helps, Krista really _is_ one of those ‘round one’ girls tonight!” Armin yelled, panic setting in his features. “But—I had to come tonight for my job, and I knew you’d say no if I mentioned work! I just wanted to get you out of the house!”

I watched as Armin began pulling out his recorder, and a notebook and pencil. Armin was a reporter. He’d always wanted to be a reporter. I mean, he wanted to be a crime reporter. And this definitely wasn’t crime, but it was a step in the right direction, I suppose.

I sighed. “I’m not mad, Armin,” I said gently, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay, I understand.”

“Really?” Armin squeaked. “ _Y-You?_ You understand?” He hesitated, before placing his palm over my forehead. “Eren, are you feeling okay? Do you need to go to the hospital? You’re still thinking about credit cards and bad sex, aren’t you—?”

I couldn’t help but to laugh, swatting his hand away. “Armin, I’m fine. Look, I’ll be honest. The only reason I’m okay right now is because I’m surrounded by sexy men—“

“I’ll take it!” Armin immediately yelled. “I don’t care why you’re acting so understanding, just please keep it that way!”

I smiled and nodded. There was no question as to why Armin was acting the way he was. I have never been an understanding person. It’s not in my makeup to be kind, it never has been. Armin was probably expecting me to snap, and stomp out of this place, but I couldn’t bring myself to throw any kind of tantrum. Not when I was about to watch hot, sweaty men roll around on the ground together, not to mention how mentally exhausted I already was from the day’s horrible events.

A man began speaking into the microphone, annunciating everything so painfully perfect it made me want to cry, and some girl came up to sing the National Anthem.

The fights weren’t so bad to watch, after all. They were entertaining, even. Especially when Armin and I were so close to the cage. It was incredible. It was a great distraction, even.

Krista really was one of those ‘round one’ girls. She looked gorgeous in her skimpy black outfit, and apparently every straight man in the fucking building agreed, because they all just about destroyed their own vocal chords screaming for her. Some of them had girlfriends or wives with them, and they got good slaps in the back of the head, which never failed to amuse me.

“Oh, Eren!” Armin began to smack me on the shoulder, pressing ‘stop’ on his little recorder. “This is that big match! Look—it shows their picture up there!”

I looked up and holy hot damn who was that fine piece of ass? The name on the screen said Levi Ackerman. It showed his height, weight, how many fights he’d won, how many he’d lost. If I was understanding correctly, Levi had never lost a single match in his entire life. Professionally, he’d had twenty-seven fights, and this would be his twenty-eighth. Was that even possible? Was he a fucking _beast?_

And oh that picture. It couldn’t have truly done him justice, but even the picture made him look like a Greek god. He looked carved from marble, his every muscle bulging. He was fucking ripped. And those dark, aggressive eyes…sure, every fighter has to make their picture look angry and dramatic, but _fuck._

“Oh, Eren, here they come!” I looked up. His opponent came out first—a guy named Reiner that I’d hardly been paying attention to. He was hot, too, but not nearly as hot as Levi.

Levi stepped into the cage a few moments after Reiner. He bounced back and forth for a moment, from one foot to the other, cracking his neck and his muscles, rolling his shoulders and _Christ in a cab on Fifth Street—his back._

“Uh—hey, Armin,” I called over the music and screams. “Remember when I said I hadn’t been horny in five years?”

Armin gave me a skeptical look. “Yeah?”

“That has finally changed.”

Armin followed my eyes, his lips quirking into a smile. “Wh—really? Levi Ackerman?”

“Hell yeah,” I breathed out, unable to stop the smile from edging its way onto my lips. “I want him on me like white on rice.”

Armin laughed, throwing his head back. Krista walked around the cage, holding up her ‘round one’ sign. Screams ensued—but this time I was almost positive they were more for the match than for Krista.

“Funny you say that,” Armin yelled, just as the match was getting ready to start. Krista stepped down, lowering her sign. “We get to meet him. I’m interviewing him when this is over.”

I felt a jolt go up my spine. “Oh, yeah. White on rice, Armin. White on rice.”

Now I’m not even going to pretend like I know what the hell is going on in a fight like this. It all looks so complicated. The way they move together, putting each other in complicated positions that they both manage to get out of every time. But what I do know, is that Levi Ackerman was winning from the second they put their hands on each other.

I also learned that, despite there being a ‘round one’ girl, there were no other rounds in what I’ve learned to call Jiu-Jitsu. It’s just one match, and that’s it. I was guessing that they were just using Krista for the effect of things.

“Two minutes left,” Armin muttered to me. “Braun looks like he’s getting his ass handed to him. He sure did talk a lot of shit, though.”

I realized I was heavily breathing like some kind of thirsty dog, my palms beginning to sweat. “Jesus, this is giving me anxiety. Not to mention, I’m going to be having fantasies about this man for the next month.”

Armin laughed. “Should I tell him you have a crush when we go back there to talk to him?”

I shook my head. “Oh, honey no, I’m going to make it very known. Don’t you know me by now?”

Armin shook his head at me, but the smile never left his lips. “And if he reciprocates? What will you do then?”

“I haven’t thought of that, I don’t know if he’s gay,” I hadn’t thought that far. The majority of the guys I flirt with are straight—at least, supposedly straight. Because most of them end up flirting back and some of them even try to make a pass at me. Oh, but no, they’re “straight” apparently. “Well—if he flirts back, then maybe I’ll actually get a proper fucking for once in my life.”

Armin spit the beer he was drinking, snorting uncontrollably. I only smiled, my eyes flickering back towards the match. It was nearing the end now—Ackerman had Braun in a tight, painful looking hold. I think it was called an “arm bar” or something like that.

It only ended when Ackerman pulled just a little too hard. I wasn’t sure if he meant to, or perhaps he just got a little too carried away, but it didn’t matter. Braun screamed, back arching off the sweaty matt they were laying on, and Ackerman immediately rolled away, coming to a stand. The crowd was screaming at the top of its lungs, like roaring wind, so loud and proud it was hurting my ears.

“Oh my God—he broke his arm!” Armin screamed.

My jaw was down on the floor where it fucking belonged. My head was officially reeling. Instead of standing up and screaming with the crowd, or jumping around like he’d just won the olympics, Levi Ackerman didn’t even acknowledge the crowd. He was instead kneeling down next to Braun, talking to him with words no one could hear until the paramedics could make their way into the cage. He moved out of the way when they did come. The annoying announcer proved Levi to be the winner, holding his hand high in the air like a champion, and again, everyone was screaming.

“Come on!” Armin yelled, pulling my hand. “I want to get back there before the crowd starts getting in the way!”

I’d never seen Armin run so fast in his life—not even in high school when Jean tried to continuously chase him down and shove his head in the toilets. But now, Armin was weaving in and out of people, practically knocking them over, and I followed hot on his heels. It wasn’t too hard to keep up when my legs were this long, but I was still out of breath when we made it back.

“Great,” I breathed out when security passed us through, Armin grabbing me and yanking me in before the guy could realize that I’m not there to interview anyone. “Now I’m going to meet the man of my dirty sex dreams looking like I just ran a marathon.”

“That’s what you’re going to look like anyways if he decides to fuck you.”

My mouth dropped open, and I laughed in disbelief. Did my innocent best friend really just say those words? “Armin Arlert—you dirty boy.”

He shrugged, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink and trying to hide a bashful smile. “What? It’s true.”

Being back here was nothing like I expected. The other, more unimportant fighters were packing their stuff up to leave. It kind of just looked like a regular old locker room. And here I thought it’d be fancy—like everyone would have their own private space to get ready, but that wasn’t it at all. Armin must’ve noticed my look, because he explained. “It depends on the building, usually. Some places are used specifically for fights, so they have more individual rooms. But this place is used for a lot of things, so they needed to save space.”

I nodded in understanding. It made sense, and I certainly wasn’t complaining. I was staring at at least twelve half-naked men at the same time. This was my own personal heaven.

Armin pulled me to the side when there was a lot of sudden movement and noise just past the threshold of the door, and Ackerman came stumbling in. The other fighters congratulated him, but he seemed almost annoyed. Like he just wanted to leave already. Despite that, he still mumbled some thanks as he moved past them, towards the back of the room.

“Come on,” Armin whispered, pulling me by the arm. Suddenly, Armin looked timid. Great. Now he’s all scared to interview the hot guy. He cleared his throat as we neared him. Levi was drying off his sweat with a towel. “Um—Mr. Ackerman? My name is Armin Arlert. I spoke with your coach over the phone, he said you agreed to let me ask a few questions?”

“Uh—yeah, not today,” Armin looked over at me in shock, and my eyebrows shot up. He didn’t even turn around.

“Um—well, it’s just that, I really need this story, I promised my boss…I understand that you’re probably exhausted—“

“Very exhausted, sweaty, disgusting, and there are no showers here,” He still wasn’t looking at us, and it was starting to piss me off. “I’m really not in the mood to answer any questions.”

Armin opened his mouth, but no words came out. I couldn’t tell if that was because he was afraid to speak, or because I spoke first. “Listen, dude,” I snapped, and his head snapped around, clearly not expecting a new voice. A new voice that wasn’t about to take any of his shit. “You promised my friend here an interview, and that’s what you’re going to fucking give him. How would you feel if your boss fired you all because you couldn’t ask some dick a few questions? Yeah, that’s right, big shot—I just called you a dick. Don’t look so fucking surprised. So I think it’d be in your best interest to answer a few of Armin’s questions, and then we can all be on our merry fucking way. Got it?”

“Oh. My. God,” Armin hung his head, as though he were ashamed. I couldn’t really blame him. I think I just threatened a professional Jiu-Jitsu fighter. Not exactly my proudest moment, but I wasn’t about to back down now.

When he didn’t answer, I continued, scoffing for the effect of it. “And to think I thought you were hot.”

“Oh, Eren,” Armin whispered. “Please. Shut. Up.”

“You’re right,” Both Armin and I snapped our eyes towards the man in front of us. “Uh—Armin, was it? I’d like to sincerely apologize. Your friend here is right, I am being a dick. Please forgive me, these things can be extremely overwhelming for me. Please, come sit, ask me anything.”

My mouth hung open as Armin sat down on the bench in front of us, right next to Levi. I couldn’t even bring myself to move, let alone sit down. Okay, he was back to being hot. Shit.

When Armin was finished, they both stood and shook hands. This time, Levi acted like a perfect, polite gentleman. His eyes landed on me, and he held his hand out. “I believe he called you Eren, correct?”

“Um—yeah,” I said awkwardly, reaching out to shake his hand. His grip was tight, and firm, and Jesus I wanted both of his hands on me right fucking now. “Eren Jaeger.”

He smirked, his fingers lingering on mine for a long moment. “Well, Eren, you’ve got quite the mouth on you. Keep it that way. I admire it.”

Mother of fuck— _fuck me_.

Armin gasped, and Levi hesitated for a moment before actually laughing. For a second, I didn’t understand why, until I realized that I’d said those words out loud, and then I wanted to crawl under a hole somewhere very far away.

“ _Eren,_ ” Armin hissed. “Jesus.”

I was sure my face was the shade of a tomato, but Levi didn’t seem to care. In fact, his next sentence took me aback so much that I thought I was imagining things. “Eren, I don’t do this often— _at all_ , actually—but, can I bring you back to my place for a drink tonight?”

My mouth went dry. Oh my God—was he gonna comply? Was there any possible chance that I was actually gonna get what I asked for? Fucking shit.

Armin cleared his throat. “Eren, you can go if you want. I’ll just meet up with you tomorrow, okay?”

Did I want to? Who was I kidding—of course I fucking wanted to. It’d been five years since I’d gotten to orgasm, and this was my possible chance. And even if he wasn’t that great in bed, he couldn’t be worse than Jean.

“Um,” I cleared my throat. “Sure. Yeah, okay.” In actuality, I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs that I just got invited over for a drink by a world championship fighter with the body of a god, but I managed to _not_ do that.

“Great, well—Eren, I’ll see you tomorrow,” Armin was smiling knowingly at me. “And, Mr. Ackerman, thank you so much for reconsidering and allowing me to ask you some questions.”

“Of course,” He nodded, shaking Armin’s hand again. “Again, I sincerely apologize for my rudeness before.”

“Oh, it’s—“ Armin was blushing now, stuttering awkwardly. “Uh—it’s no biggie,” He giggled. “Goodbye— _Eren, holy shit_.” He whispered, scrambling away as fast as he could through all of the sweaty, naked men.

“Um,” I began to back away. “I’ll—I can wait for you outside or something…”

“That’s okay, we’re going out the back,” He nodded towards an exit door a few feet away. “I don’t think I’m suppose to, but it’s easier than going through the crowd.”

I turned away awkwardly as he changed his clothes. I was hoping he didn’t notice how awkward I felt. God—I probably was acting like some timid virgin who’d never felt the touch of another man in my entire life.

“Eren,” I jumped when I felt his hand touch my shoulder. He had a bag over his shoulder now. He was wearing a black t-shirt and black sweatpants. “Ready? I wanna get out of here before my team comes back here.”

I nodded, allowing him to lead me out the back way of the building. We had to go through a series of halls, and down a flight of steps before we went through another door, and we were met with cool air on our skin.

“This is me,” Levi said, approaching a big black jeep. He opened the door for me and I smiled, thanking him quietly. He even held my hand as I stepped in, as though I needed that. Still, wasn’t complaining.

The car ride was more awkward than expected. We went a whole ten minutes through traffic in silence before Levi finally cleared his throat and turned to look at me. “So—your friend is a reporter, clearly. What do you do for a living, Eren?”

I decided, in that moment, that I liked the way my name sounded on his tongue. On another more important note, I wasn’t sure how to answer that question.

“Oh—well, um…currently unemployed, actually. For the moment. But—I was a stripper for the first two years that I was in college.” My mouth went dry. “And um—I probably shouldn’t have told you that.”

We both laughed, me awkwardly, and Levi genuinely. At least I knew that he wasn’t judgmental. That was a good thing.

“Well, what’d you go to college for? Any idea on what you’re wanting to do?”

“Oh, um,” I snorted quite unattractively, if I had to guess. No way was he gonna want to fuck me by the time we made it back to his place. “My Dad wants me to be a doctor, but…I told them that it wasn’t for me, and they kicked me out…today, actually! That’s why I was with Armin.” I decided against mentioning that the main reason I got kicked to the curb was because of my supposed “money problem.” I didn’t want him to think that I was some kind of gold digger, or that I was now on the search for a sugar daddy.

“Well I’m sorry to hear that,” The crazy thing was—he sounded genuinely sorry, which blew my fucking mind. Not only was the guy hot as all hell, but so far, he was an actual good guy. He’s in the minority—let me tell ya. “So what are you gonna do now?”

“I’ll be staying with Armin, I guess. It’s real nice of him to let me stay—I haven’t always been the kindest friend to him. That’s why I’m so protective of him, I guess. I’m sorry for getting so mean with you earlier.”

“No, no—I understand completely. You were right, I was being a jerk. Hey—you’re really good at putting people in their place. So here’s an idea for you. Why don’t you come be apart of my team? I could really use someone who won’t back down. You could be like, my manager of sorts.”

My mouth hung open. I stared at him like an idiot. “Your…what would I do?”

“Well, it’d be kind of like an agent, except you wouldn’t have to deal with any of my financial stuff, like an agent would normally do. You’d organize all of my press conferences, weigh-ins, events I need to attend, important interviews, photoshoots. Feel free to say no—the job would likely keep you pretty busy, but I’d pay you extremely well, Eren.”

There he went again—saying my name, and not giving me literally any chance to say no. The way he spoke my name, it rolled off of his tongue like warm honey, and captivated me every fucking time. How was I suppose to live knowing that this one man had so much power over me just by saying my own name? I was gonna die if I had to work for him—where he’d be saying my name all day long and like, looking at me and shit. This was suppose to be a one-night stand and it was turning into a lifetime fucking commitment.

“Um—if I say yes, does that mean we can’t have sex tonight?”

Conclusion of my life: I have no mother fucking filter. And clearly, no inner-shame either.

Levi chuckled, pulling into a parking garage of a very nice, pristine looking building that I was guessing was his apartment building. “Sweetheart, I can’t promise that if you say yes I’ll be able to keep my hands to myself after one night with you. In fact,” My breath hitched, and it wouldn’t unhitch. The man had managed to literally take my breath away. “Even if you say no, I’d probably end up hunting you down and bringing you right back. You are absolutely stunning, Eren. Did you know that?”

The truth was—yeah, I kinda did know that, and it was fun knowledge to have, but he didn’t need to know that I knew, even though he probably already knew that I knew, and I know it.

_Christ—no wonder my parents fucking hate me._

Instead of answering properly, I sat there choking and stuttering awkwardly as Levi pulled into a parking space. I hadn’t even noticed that he’d gotten out of the Jeep entirely and was coming around to open the door for me.

He took my hand. “Shall we?”

I let out a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding, and for who knows how long. “Oh hell yeah.”

 


	2. A Series of Unfortunate Events

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates will probably start out pretty fast because I'm trying to get the ball rolling on this story, just so everyone knows lolololol i swear I have somewhat of a life igsghrsghsngorhgksghkrsngjshg ugh

_Chapter 2_

Levi’s apartment had one of those doorman guys, and he smiled politely as we walked past. “Mr. Ackerman,” He said politely. “Congratulations. Undefeated, as always. And who is this?”

Levi cleared his throat, looking slightly annoyed to be interrupted, but remained polite nonetheless. “Thank you. This is Eren Jaeger, he’s my new manager, so you’ll be seeing a lot more of him.”

“I see—very nice to meet you, Mr. Jaeger. Say—you look familiar, do I know you from anywhere—?”

“Uh, probably not!” I said quickly, laughing uncomfortably and happily allowing Levi to begin dragging me away. “Nice meeting you!”

Levi chuckled as we stepped into the elevator and hit the very top floor, having to use a special key to get the elevator to take us there. I knew that meant it must’ve been one of those special kinds of keys that took us to an apartment that took up the entire floor, and I wouldn’t doubt that that’s exactly what it was.

“So he knew you from somewhere, huh?” I noticed then how close Levi really was, his breath brushing my cheek gently, our bodies so close together I could feel the heat between us. I even dared to move closer, my fingers grazing his as my hand slid closer on the shiny railing of the elevator. He didn’t move away, but instead locked our hands, his face coming closer to mine.

I let out a breath. “Maybe a customer from the strip club.”

Levi smirked, his head swooping down easily to graze his soft lips against the smooth curve of my neck, and I tilted back to give him better access, my eyes fluttering closed. God, I wanted his hands on me. I wanted his lips on me. I wanted his everything _all fucking over me._

“That’s no good. What if he was thinking of you naked?”

I laughed, eyes fluttering when he pressed a small, barely-there kiss to my jaw. “I hate to break it to you, big shot, but a lot of people think of me naked.”

And yet I spent five years without a single orgasm. Tragic.

“Well I’m certainly not in the minority on that one,” I was losing my breath by the time he finally moved up to press his lips to mine, but he was being a damn tease. He pressed a long, gentle kiss to the corner of my mouth, fingers caressing my cheekbone. Something about it felt almost romantic, and I wasn’t sure how to feel about that. Nothing with Jean had ever been romantic in the slightest, and of my previous fucks throughout high school, none of those were romantic either. Three of them were with teachers for better grades, and the other however-many were guys who swore up and down they were straight, but they weren’t fooling me any. But they were all so rough and rushed, ashamed when we were done.

Needless to say, none of my lovers had ever been very good. The more I thought about it, the more I realized—not a single other person had ever made me orgasm, and if tonight wasn’t the night, I was going to throw hands. My expectations of Levi’s skills in the bedroom are far too high for my own good.

The elevator dinged, and then Levi’s warmth was gone within seconds, and to my inevitable mortification, I let out a short, weak whimper that couldn’t have been at all sexy. Or maybe it was, judging by the way Levi was looking at me, and the low growl that came from the back of his throat. Jesus help me, tonight may very well be the night that I meet my certain demise.

“Get your sexy ass in here.” I was right upon thinking that Levi’s apartment was one of those penthouse things—the kind that takes up an entire floor. And it was gorgeous, spacious, huge. There were pictures hung on the walls, but unlike most people, they weren’t pictures of family. They were pictures of fighters, famous ones that I actually kind of recognized. Mostly boxers—which I found strange, considering Levi did mainly Jiu-Jitsu, at least competitively. Some of them were even signed, a couple were even made out to Levi personally.

“Boxing,” I said casually as Levi came behind me, hands on my waist, lips on my neck, grazing teasingly again. “Did you start out in boxing?”

“Mhm,” He hummed. “What can I get you? I have vodka, whiskey, beer, wine, you name it.”

I hummed, reaching my arm around to wrap around his neck where he stood behind me, still relentlessly teasing a spot on my neck that he realized was sensitive when I shuddered. “Don’t wanna be drunk when you take me.”

“Who said I’m getting you drunk?” Levi chuckled, grabbing hold of the belt loops of my jeans and yanking me into him further. I gasped at the roughness of his affections, eyes fluttering when I felt his erection against my ass.

I exhaled sharply, smirking. “Hard already?”

“Can you blame me?” No, I really couldn’t, because I was getting hard, too. But it was hard to pop a boner when you couldn’t stop doubting what things would be like in the bedroom. Would it be quick and painful? Would it be slow and awkward? Would he take his time? Would I be allowed to talk to him, touch him, kiss him—all of the things Jean would never let me do?

He bit down on the juncture of my neck, and I moaned, my ass instinctively pressing back into his groin and—who was I kidding? No matter what, he’d be better than Jean. I might actually have a chance at coming this time around.

“Sensitive there, hm?” He chuckled. “I’ll keep that in mind. Now what do you want? I need to take a quick shower, as much as I really don’t want to take my hands off of you, so feel free to walk around and make yourself at home.”

I turned around, my arms wrapping around his neck. “Why take a shower when you’re gonna get all sweaty again anyways?”

“Because I have other people’s sweat all over me, too,” He chuckled, swiping his tongue at the spot he’d bit. “The sticky feeling is driving me crazy.”

“Mm, I see,” I muttered, enjoying the feeling of his tongue. “Well don’t worry about me. Just show me where the alcohol is. I use to bartend here and there at the club, so you don’t have to worry about serving me. Go take your shower.”

He groaned. “Don’t wanna stop touching you.”

My God—I’d never had so many butterflies in my whole life. My head tilted back with ease when he began kissing my Adam’s apple, and his fingers wrapped themselves in my hair and pulled back further to give him better access. I was a simpering, whimpering fucking mess.

“Love those sounds you make,” He growled. “I can’t wait to make you scream.”

I let out a shaky moan, unable to stop it. “Is that a promise?”

He chuckled against the skin of my neck, sending vibrations. “Sweetheart, you’re going to come so many times tonight you’ll be begging me to _stop_.”

I froze, head snapping up to look at him, my eyes wide. “You should know, that um…”

He rose an eyebrow. “Yes?”

“Uh…Levi, no one has ever made me come before—like, ever. And, if I don’t tonight, I just don’t want you to feel bad, or like it was your fault—“

“Eren,” He gripped my chin between his thumb and pointer finger, smirking down at me. “Let me ask you this. You’ve made yourself come, yeah?” I nodded once. “Then it’s possible, and no one else was doing it right. I bet no one has ever even _touched_ your prostate. Am I right?”

“Oh, um,” I casted my eyes downward, shrugging. “Yeah, you are.”

“You are such a sweetheart,” He said, lifting my chin again to press those feverish, longing kisses against my jawline. “Can’t get enough of that pretty face of yours.”

I snorted. “A sweetheart? I chewed you out and called you a dick earlier.”

“And I fully deserved it. It was hot that someone was putting me in my place. You’re incredible.”

“Incredible, huh?” How was it possible that his little praises were turning me on further? Not to mention—how was I ever gonna let him go shower now? I never wanted him to stop touching me, feeling me, kissing me, _praising me_.

“If you want to shower you need to do it now, before I start begging you to stay,” I whimpered, allowing him to turn me around in his arms, one arm wrapped around my waist and the other hand gripping my throat gently, tilting my head to the side to suck at my ear. I was putty in his arms at that moment, my knees going slightly weak and Levi holding me up all on his own.

“God, you’re perfect,” He whispered. “No one has ever touched you like this, hm? No one has ever taken the time to worship your gorgeous body. It’s like touching a virgin. So sensitive, so excited.”

He was, embarrassingly, correct. It really did feel like I was a virgin. I tried not to think of that Madonna song, not at a time like this. But he was dead-on. As if Jean would ever have touched me like this. The thought almost made me scoff. Jean only cared about getting himself off. I was never allowed to talk, or touch him—he said it would distract him, or turn him off, which doesn’t do very good for the self-esteem.

And then here was this man. This gorgeous, incredible, polite, respectful, strong man who was thinking of me, and _my_ pleasure. Who was standing here, claiming he wanted to worship my body, and make me come as many times as he can. It was like a damn dream come true. How many times had I fantasized about someone actually giving me what I wanted? I had no idea it’d become a reality so quickly. I mean hell—Jean and I had broken up only that morning, but the second I saw Levi, I hadn’t thought about him once. The man must have magical powers.

“Okay, brat. I’m gonna go take a quick shower, and when I come back,” He suckled at my ear again, nibbling gently, and I whimpered, tempted to beg him not to leave me. “I’m gonna make you feel _so_ good. Alcohol is in the kitchen, cupboard next to the refrigerator. Make yourself at home, feel free to get naked.”

I chuckled at that despite that I couldn’t even think clearly anymore. “Okay. Don’t be too long.”

He chuckled darkly. “Oh, baby, I’ll be out before you can even finish your drink.”

I hummed. “I’ll hold you to it.”

He kissed my cheek. “I certainly hope so. I’ll be back.” He smacked my ass as he stepped away, disappearing into the hallway. I whimpered at the loss of contact, thankful he didn’t hear it. I heard the bathroom door close, and the shower turn on, so I forced myself to walk, my knees slightly shaky. I found the alcohol in the kitchen exactly where he said it’d be and decided to make a Whiskey Sour, placing the cellphone that was in my pocket next to Levi’s on the countertop so it didn’t get lost in Levi’s room somewhere later on in the midst of our, _ahem_ , love making if you will.

When I was finished I made sure to clean up before I decided to tour myself around his living room, examining every picture, my eyes carefully skimming over the words scribbled over some of them.

One of them said, _“Levi—never forget where you started. You were always too good for the streets. Honored to have met you.”_

Wow. He really made an impact on that guy. And—the streets? Not that I was judging, it’s just unexpected. I wanted to know more, but I decided I wasn’t going to pry, especially not now when all I really wanted was his dick in my ass—not his life story. I could probably just find it on Wikipedia.

I walked over by his stone fireplace, pursing my lips as I examined the pictures on the mantle. Two of them were more fighters, posing with Levi himself, one of them looked to be a coach, standing in between Levi and another fighter. The first thing I noticed about Levi in photos was that he didn’t smile. He remained blank, simply staring into the camera as though he had better things to do.

The third picture had a girl in it. She had short black hair, and she was leaning into Levi, pressing a kiss to his cheek. She could barely fit her arms around his broad, muscular shoulders, and he held her tight against him with one arm around her waist.

“Oh my God,” I whispered, jaw dropped. “He has a fucking _girlfriend?_ ”

I whipped my head around to march around his apartment, searching for more pictures. One picture, I could let go. It didn’t mean anything. They could just be friends. Right? But did I even want to take that risk? Why even let him have a chance to cheat on his clearly beautiful and loving possible girlfriend?

I found another picture of her—this time her alone. It was in his kitchen, on the refrigerator. She was smiling into the camera, wide and beautiful, eyes shining bright.

I scoffed. Who the hell did he think he was? Sneaking behind this girl’s back and trying to have sex with me? Come to think of it—why the hell did I even say yes to coming home with him so quickly? We hadn’t even had a conversation before I was jumping at the chance. What was wrong with me? Was I that easy, that _desperate?_

I snatched my cellphone off the counter and marched towards the elevator as quickly as I could, pressing the button repeatedly until the elevator doors slid open, and as soon as I felt they were wide enough for me to slide in, I was diving in head first, pressing the “Lobby” button, and then the “Close Doors” button harshly, at least ten times until I knew I was safe, and the elevator jerked as it began to slide down slowly.

I let out a breath, allowing my head to fall back against the metal elevator walls behind me. The sound of shitty elevator music was not at all calming, and it was only when the elevator door dinged that I realized I still had my glass of Whiskey Sour held tight in my hand like a total fucking idiot. I rolled my eyes at myself and ran out of the elevator as quickly as I could, using my free hand to pull my cellphone out of my back pocket.

Only to find it wasn’t there. Instead, I had a different phone in my pocket. The screensaver was Levi and that same girl, posing for a photo at what looked to be a gym. In this picture, they were both wearing workout clothes, and looked equally sweaty and fit. Oh my God, I grabbed _Levi’s phone!_

“Shit! Fuck me, fuck me, fuck me! Fuck me in the ass with a fucking cactus!”

“Mr. Jaeger?” The doorman, who’s name I’d never learned, leaned forward slightly, narrowing his eyes at me. “Are you alright?”

“What? Yeah,” I waved him off. “Look—here, take this,” I handed him the fancy crystal glass I was still holding. “Give this to uh—Levi. I mean, Mr. Ackerman. Give that to him.”

He looked mildly uncomfortable. Well, more like, really uncomfortable. “Ah—“

“Thanks, bye!”

I dashed out the door, deciding that anything on that phone wasn’t worth fighting for. By this time, surely to God Levi was out of the shower, towel wrapped around his godly waist, and wondering where the hell I’d run off to. Probably unaware that I’d taken his cellphone instead of mine and stolen his expensive looking crystal glass. And for some reason, I’d given the crystal glass to the doorman, but not his phone.

Whatever—nobody said I was logical.

It was only when I was halfway down the street, kinda chilly, and pretty much lost, that I really wished I’d gotten my phone back. I didn’t have a clue where I was, I had no money, and I needed to get back to Armin’s somehow, lest I want to sit on the side of the road all night—or, give up my pride and walk shamefully back to Levi Ackerman’s apartment. I didn’t know hardly anyone’s number by heart, at least no one that would help me. I was tempted to go back to Levi’s, but…

Yeah fucking right. Side of the road it is.

I sighed and took a seat on a nearby bench, surrounded by litter and a couple pieces of cardboard box that said something like "homeless, anything helps" or something like that.

I had been sitting on that very bench for all of ten minutes before a voice called out to me. “Eren?” I looked up at the familiar voice. It was Krista, wearing a short little dress that revealed the majority of her leg, heels, and a very pretty fur coat. I thought the coat was a bit much—it wasn’t cold enough for that, but it matched with her dress, so I guess it made sense. “Oh, Eren, are you okay?”

I smiled and nodded, trying not to sob at her question, because, clearly I wasn’t okay. It didn’t work. A tear rolled down my cheek and I let out a bitter laugh. “Krista, think about it. Have you ever seen Eren Jaeger sitting on the side of the road somewhere with no phone, no money, and no car?”

Krista gave me a sympathetic look and placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. “Oh, Eren…should I even ask?”

I sighed, wiping my face aggressively and shaking my head. “No. No, I’m okay. One small moment of weakness is all I can allow myself right now.”

She sat down next to me slowly, rubbing at my shoulder. “I’ve never…seen you cry.” I glanced at her, my expression warning. The message was clear. I didn’t want to talk about it. She sighed, nodding seemingly to herself. “C’mon, Eren. I’ll give you a ride.”

“Thanks,” I smiled bashfully, standing to follow her. I cleared my throat. “You look nice. Where’d you come from?”

“Oh, hah,” She bit down on her lip and gave a flirty shrug with her shoulders. “Just…this guy’s place.”

“Oh, yeah?” I smiled, but I was thinking bitterly, _yeah me too._ “Was he good?”

She giggled as we approached her car, an old jeep. “You could say that. Now, where to?”

I chewed on the inside of my cheek for a short moment. “Do you knew where Armin lives?”

“Of course!”

***

I waved a silent goodbye to Krista as she drove away from the parking lot of Armin’s apartment complex. Thankfully, Armin had given me a spare key to his apartment a long time ago, and as long as he hadn’t recently changed his locks, my night wouldn’t be ruined further and I could make a quick bed on his couch or something.

But as I entered through the front door and found myself in the familiar foyer of Armin’s apartment, I heard what sounded like grunts and gasps coming from the living room just ahead of me, and I cringed. Worst of all—there was no way to really shield myself from the trauma, because the living room light was on at a slight dim, which meant I could basically still see everything.

For an embarrassingly long moment, I didn’t register exactly what I was (sadly) seeing. My eyes first saw a head of familiar blonde hair practically hanging off the couch, slender pale legs wrapped around someone’s waist. That wasn’t even the worst part. A body on top of him—long, slightly lanky with a small hint of summer tan. Those light brown, blondish strands of hair hanging over a growing, brown undercut. An Aquiline nose.

“ _Oh my God!_ ” I screamed, unable to stop the sudden anger from raking through my body like nails on a chalkboard. “What the actual fucking _fuck?!_ ”

Their movements—their disgusting, languid, bone-chilling and confusing movements came to a sudden and abrupt stop. My head was reeling with an unknown emotion. I had myself backed up against the door, pressed so tightly against it that it was hurting my shoulder blades, and I wished the damn thing would just swallow me up already.

“Eren—!” Armin gasped, shoving Jean off of him and scrambling to cover himself with a blanket. “Eren, oh my—I thought you were with Levi!”

“Levi?” Jean had an eyebrow raised, tilting his head at me. The way he always use to—the same little head tilt I’d once found endearing and cute. Now it was just annoying and I wanted to punch him in the throat. “Who’s Levi?”

I scoffed. “Oh, go fuck yourself, Jean!”

“ _Well_ then.”

“What the—I mean…when? Why? After everything I’ve…” I laughed bitterly, before covering my face with my hands and growling lowly. “What the hell kind of shitty friend are you? Who the fuck _does_ that?!”

“Eren, I’m so sorry,” Armin’s eyes were filling with heavy tears as he stood, stumbling over the blanket trying to get to me. “Eren—it just happened, I…I didn’t mean for it go this far!”

“Don’t fucking come near me!” I shouted, surprising even myself. Nonetheless, Armin stopped, steady tears leaking down his flushed cheekbones. “Oh my God,” I laughed bitterly again, because I was afraid I’d cry if I didn’t. “The night I’ve had. Oh, Jesus. And then I walk in here and you’re—“ I choked out another laugh. “You’re fucking my ex-boyfriend! Oh and please, Armin, indulge me here. How is he for you? Please do tell me. I’m absolutely fucking _dying to know_.”

Armin shook his head. “Eren—“

“Oh, what?” My voice had reached a sinisterly low pitch, the growl in my tone forcing Armin to take a step back. “What, Armin? Don’t like seeing your best friend this way? Don’t like seeing me so upset? Well, what did you expect me to do when I found out, huh?! Smile and clap you on the back and give you my fucking blessing?! Because you know who you’re dealing with, Armin, you know I’d rather slit my damn wrists than to ever walk in and find _this!_ ”

Armin let out a sob, clutching the blanket tightly to his chest. “Eren, please!”

“No! You know what? No. Don’t talk to me again. Don’t look at me again. Don’t try to fucking contact me. You two are going to be absolutely perfect for each other, Armin, but don’t ever come crying to me and saying I didn’t warn you. It’s all fun and games now, but _then!_ Guess what?! He’s going to start coming home late, smelling like some whore. In my case, apparently that whore was you,” I snarled. Another sob. “He’ll start forcing himself on you. And it’s fucking awful even when you do consent because he won’t even let you talk! Isn’t that right, Jean?! And you’ll never get to come, y’know? He doesn’t know how to do that, clearly.”

“Hey!”

“ _I’m not fucking finished,_ ” I snapped towards Jean, before flickering my eyes back towards Armin. “And then when you go to leave, he’ll swear that you’ll never survive without him. And you know what? Yeah, Jean, maybe I won’t. Maybe I’ll end up all by my fucking self on the side of some road somewhere, and you two will be all cozy and fucking rich, but you know what? It’d still be better than being with you, you fucking dick wad. Oh, and Armin?”

Hopeful blue eyes caught onto my own and I almost—almost—felt a sense of remorse. And maybe I would later. Now wasn’t that time.

“Take it from me. Don’t ever trust a man who buys you thousands of dollars worth of diamonds with his daddy’s money, but refuses to eat your ass.”

I turned and walked myself out, ignoring my best friend's sobs and pleads, and proceeding to slam the door behind me as hard and as viciously as I could. It was only in that moment, when I was officially out of sight, that I could feel the overwhelming sense of sadness and anger settle over me, taking me for all that I’m worth, life fucking me over for the fourth time today. In less than twenty-four hours, I’d lost it all. Everything about me, every piece of my identity was being washed away from me.

I had nothing but Levi Ackerman’s cell phone in my pocket, and if it wasn’t bad enough that the phone wasn’t even mine, I was probably going to have to return it the moment he realized he had mine somewhere in his apartment. And I’d have to face him after I ran out on him before we could even get down to the nitty-gritty. Probably really good nitty-gritty, too.

And then I was pretty pissed at myself that I didn’t just let him fuck me instead of worrying about his girlfriend. Then I would’ve never had to deal with any of this.

I traveled into the city by Uber, the long drive giving me time to calm down, and the driver didn't ask any questions. I asked him to stop once we'd reached the heart of the city, next to an illegal painting of Hillary Clinton on the side of a brick building. I got out and sat on the curb. Why I'd come back to the city, I didn't know. Maybe because it was closer to the dance studio, maybe because it's as far away from Armin, Jean and my family as humanly possible.

I was pretty much ready to accept my homelessness (and the fact that I was bound to become a hooker by the morning) when, in my back pocket, Levi Ackerman’s phone started to ring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uhhhhghgsgjsngjs i feel pretty weird posting two chapters in one day but again, trying to get the ball rolling here lolol don'tjudgeme. anyways, I hope you enjoy, and I hope there are no errors because I tend to get lazy when I proof-read!


	3. Hillary Clinton, or Magical Unicorn?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Illegal artwork of Hillary Clinton. Hanji Zoe is obsessed with Eren. Levi and Eren finally establish where they stand with each other. Levi is a total sweetheart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gkirhsnvjshtusebgejguseg I've gotten such great feedback so far, and since I already had about ten chapters written before I ever decided to publish this story, I'm updating pretty quickly. Sadly, the quick updates probably won't last so enjoy them while you can lololol. Anyways, I apologize for any spelling and/or grammar errors, my proof-reading skills are below average! Enjoy!!
> 
> P.S. This chapter is long af

_ Chapter 3 _

The name that popped up on Levi’s screen said, ‘Hanji Zoe.’ For a long moment, I contemplated whether or not I should answer. I mean…it wasn’t my phone. Should I be answering someone else’s calls after having accidentally stolen their phone? And what if it was Levi? What if he hadn’t been able to get into my phone to call his own cellphone, so he’s using a friends?

I sighed and picked up cautiously, pressing the phone to my ear and trying not to sound like I’d just been sobbing. “Hello?”

“Levi!” A voice yelled. It was a woman’s voice, but a strangely deep one for a female. And she said his name weird, almost like she was singing it. “Where are you?! You ditched us at—“

“Uh, hey, hang on a second!” I yelled into the phone, sighing in relief when she finally stopped talking. She was terribly loud, and I had to switch the phone to my other ear before she made me go deaf. “Uh—I’m not Levi.”

After a long moment, I heard her say, “Ah…uh—?”

“Sorry, uh. There was a mix up. I have Levi’s phone now and he has mine.”

“I see,” It seemed, apparently, that I’d put a damper on her mood. She no longer sounded like she was bouncing off of the walls, but she did sound intrigued and interested in me. “What’s your name, then?”

“Eren. Eren Jaeger.”

There was a bit of shuffling for a moment, some light background noise, before I heard, “Oh, you’re adorable!”

“I—what?”

“I’m on your Instagram. Wait! Oh my! I’ve seen you in those one dance videos before! Hey, Erwin! Get over here, quick!” More shuffling. I stuttered. Who was Erwin? Why were they stalking my Instagram when I was literally right here on the other end?

“Hanji, who’re you on the phone with?” I heard a muffled voice ask.

“A boy named Eren Jaeger. Look, this is him!”

“I’ve seen those videos before. He’s cute. How the hell did you get his number, though?”

“I didn’t! He has Levi’s phone!”

“What?” There was a moment of shuffling and scuffling around. I didn’t know what the hell was going on on the other end, but I had a feeling Erwin was about to take this little phone session over and figure this out, and thank God. I was beginning to fear I’d never get Hanji’s attention. “Hello? Eren?”

“Hi,” I breathed out, letting my head hang practically between my knees. “Who am I speaking to now?”

A light chuckle. “My name is Erwin Smith—I’m Levi’s coach. Can I ask how you’ve managed to acquire his cellphone?”

I told Erwin the story, while still leaving out a few embarrassing details. Instead of saying I found pictures of Levi’s girlfriend and ditched, I lied and said I realized how stupid it was to have sex with a guy I’d never even had a conversation with and left while he was in the shower, and accidentally grabbed the wrong cellphone. I told him I came home to find my best friend having sex with my ex-boyfriend, and now I was sitting on the side of the road.

I didn’t mean to tell him everything. I didn’t mean to pour my every emotion and problem onto a man I’d never seen before in my life. But I just needed to unload, and there was no one else around to do that with. I didn’t have a best friend anymore. Who was there to rant to? Erwin Smith, apparently.

On the other end, when I was finished, I heard him heave a deep sigh. “Alright, Eren. Where are you?”

“What?”

“I’m going to come get you so we can get this figured out. What’s your number? I’ll dial it and try to get ahold of Levi.” I sighed. May as well get the embarrassment out of the way so I can go on my merry way of walking the streets and eventually becoming homeless. Oh well. I have dance videos from the studio that will go on forever. No one will ever have to know that Eren Jaeger became fucking homeless.

On second thought—maybe I could just secretly live in the studio? Yeah—that’s what I’ll do. Break into the studio that my friend Sasha owns and sleep there. There are showers and everything. Why the hell not?

“Eren? Eren, are you there?”

“Yes! Yeah, sorry. I’m here. Um. I don’t really know, but…there is this illegal artwork behind me of Hillary Clinton’s face with—“

“With a unicorn horn coming out of her head?”

“Yeah.”

I heard a sigh from the other end, before loud laughter ensued, which I assumed belonged to Hanji. “Yeah, I know exactly where that is. I’ll be there in a few minutes. Give me your number so I can call it and get Levi.”

I gave him my number, and when he’d confirmed that he’d heard me correctly, we hung up. And I was left there to wait.

After ten minutes of staring at Hilary Clinton’s unicorn horn and wondering if that Hanji girl had anything to do with it by the way she’d laughed, a sleek black Cadillac pulled up in the street. At first, I thought it was my father considering he had the exact same car. But then the window rolled down to reveal a blonde haired man with handsome features and I sighed.

“I hope you’re Erwin Smith, because if not, that means you must think I’m a hooker.”

He laughed, and I knew it was him. Even laughing, his voice sounded the same—deep and meaningful and strong. I stood to my feet, which were now sore. My whole body was sore. I just wanted to plop down onto a bed and sleep forever.

“Come on, Eren. Levi should be there by the time we get back.”

I got into his car, grumbling about how embarrassing this whole situation was. “Do I have to face him? Can’t you just take his phone inside, give it to him, and then bring mine out to me? And then I’ll be out of your hair forever.”

He ignored my question. “Where do you live, Eren?”

I snorted. “That’s the question of the hour, isn’t it?”

He glanced at me just as we pulled up to a stoplight. “You don’t have anywhere? Nowhere at all?”

I shrugged, looking away. “No. I was just gonna try and break into the dance studio. My friend Sasha owns it. I was just gonna sleep there or something.”

He sighed. “Well, let’s not commit crimes just to sleep…we’ll figure something out for you. You can stay with one of us.”

“Us?” I asked hesitantly.

Erwin nodded. “Yeah. As long as you can promise you’re not gonna steal from, or murder one of us, we’ll be good.”

I didn’t answer. I knew I should’ve been thanking him, maybe even kissing the very ground he walked on, but I couldn’t bring myself to form a sentence. I couldn’t understand why the were being so nice to me. Maybe it was the twenty-four hours of unfortunate events talking, but it seemed impossible that anything good could come out of any of it. Sure, it wasn’t the end of the world. Others had probably had worse days than me.

But fuck those people—this is _my_ worst bad day ever and I had every right to sulk for at least a little while. Have you ever walked in on your best friend having sex with your very recent ex? No? Then shut up.

It wasn’t long before we arrived at yet another apartment building that I’d have to walk into tonight. It was nice—not as big and fancy as Levi’s, but still nice. Erwin parked his car in the parking garage, then led me inside the building. We were greeted by a doorman, then stepped into an elevator. I noticed there wasn’t a penthouse this time. Erwin lived in a seemingly normal (but probably still expensive) apartment building.

My heart was practically jumping out of my throat as we got off the elevator. Could this day get anymore embarrassing? Was this a nightmare? If so, could God have mercy on me and just let me wake up already?

I wanted to be home. In my own bed, surrounded by a multitude of maids and fancy vases and chandeliers and nice cars. Then I wanted to go to the studio and teach the kids class. And then have a class of my own. And make routines that would get recorded by professional cameramen and posted on the Internet, only for them to go fucking viral, just like they always did.

Erwin came to a slow. The door had the number ’19’ on it. I could hear talking and music inside—the song Crying in the Club. Seemingly unlocked, Erwin didn’t pull a key out, but instead simply pushed the door open and walked inside.

I could see Levi sitting on the couch—his back to me, undercut familiar. Next to him was a girl who I assumed was Hanji—the one I’d spoken with on the phone who wouldn’t pay attention to anything I had to say, but did go in search for my Instagram.

 _Oh, God,_ I thought to myself, when I saw what they were watching on the TV. It was one of those infamous dance videos, (which would explain the music) one that I’d both choreographed and danced to. Sure, millions of people watched the videos that the studio posted. It wasn’t just me—people came from all over the world to dance with us, to learn different dances, to gain more experience, to be in those videos. But my videos _alone_ took up, like, fifty percent of the YouTube channel. And it was embarrassing to be around when people were watching those videos.

“Eren!” A voice squealed. It was who I guessed to be Hanji, and I’d guessed correctly. Her voice was entirely too familiar already. Impossible to forget, even. She wore big, thick glasses, and her hair was in a ponytail. She was pretty, and yet extremely boyish, almost. Everything from her jacket to her jeans was baggy, and she kind of looked like she hadn’t washed her hair in a week. She kind of looked like a hobo, honestly. “I can’t believe I’m meeting you!”

“Alright, Hanji,” Erwin was smiling. “Breathe. Don’t scare him off.”

“It’s okay,” I whispered nervously. “Uh—I see you watch me dance sometimes.”

“You’re _so_ good!” Hanji screamed again, jumping over the back of the couch and almost kicking Levi in the face, to which he grumbled angrily. “I watch you all the time! You’re so fluid—how do you do it?! Can you teach me some of your dances?! I really liked when you danced to ‘Buttons’ and ‘Feel it Still’! Maybe one of those?!”

I laughed nervously, taking a few steps back. “Um…I mean, I’m at the studio all the time. You could always come in and—“

“ _YES!_ ”

“Okay, okay, give him some room,” Erwin shooed Hanji away, forcing her back to her spot on the couch. “Levi? Phone?”

Levi pushed himself up off of the couch with a stone-cold glare. And maybe I was imagining things, but the second his eyes hit my face, they seemed to soften, even if only a little bit. He had my phone in his hand—the phone that looked so much like his—and handed it over to me. I did the same with his.

“You sure did get a lot of texts, brat,” He folded his arms across his chest. “From your friend Armin. Profusely apologizing.”

My mouth gaped. “U-Uh…that’s not really something I feel comfortable talking about with a man I just met.”

“And yet we almost fucked.”

“It was hardly even an _almost_.”

“Okay, both of you, cool it before we have problems,” Erwin placed a hand on my shoulder. Magically, I leaned into it. Maybe it was because Erwin had the most comforting voice and demeanor I’d ever come across in my life. Almost fatherly. Well—the way a father _should_ treat his son, the treatment I never got from my own Dad. “Eren, I’m afraid I’ll have to have you sign a contract at some point in the next couple of days, claiming you won’t speak of any of—“

“Hang on just a hot damn minute,” Levi snapped. “Eren, what you did was a dick move. You could’ve at least given me a heads up, told me you didn’t want to anymore, and I would’ve taken you home. But I still offered you a job as my manager. You have balls, kid, and I need that on my team.”

Hanji snorted from behind me. “Balls you want in your _mouth_ , you mean?”

“Hanji,” Erwin scolded quietly, to which she shrugged unapologetically for her comment. I would’ve laughed any other time, but my stomach was twisting in nervous knots.

“You still want me to work for you?” I asked in disbelief. “Seriously? After a night like this?”

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m scorned as all hell,” He growled. “And I can’t promise I’ll be nice to you for at least the next three months. But I need a manager, and you need a fucking job.”

I snapped my mouth closed, incapable of finding the words I needed to say. Yes? No? Flat-out refusal? Slap him and stomp out the door for taking such a mean tone with me? Cry because I feel like a dick? Cry because he’s so hot and I want him to fuck me into next week but he clearly has a girlfriend?

“Well, Eren,” Erwin, swooping in with his friendly, fatherly voice and saving my ass from another ten seconds of looking like a fish out of water. What a good man. Maybe I should be letting him fuck me into next week instead. “Why don’t you sleep on it? You can stay with me for tonight.”

“You?” Levi asked, one eyebrow raised dangerously.

“Yes. There was an incident, he can’t stay with his friend for the evening…” Erwin cleared his throat, placing a hand on my lower back to lead me out, and it was then that I realized this must’ve been Hanji’s apartment, and not Erwin’s. “Come on, Eren.”

“Why can’t he stay here with Hanji? Or—“

“Who? _You?_ ” Hanji cackled. “Yeah, right, Levi! Like he’d agree to that at this point. And I don’t have a spare room, and my couch is majorly uncomfortable. Have fun at Erwin’s, Eren!”

Without another word to or from either of them, Erwin led me out of what I assumed was Hanji’s apartment. Erwin didn’t remove his hand from my lower back. His rather large, strong hand. Attached to a thick, strong arm. A bulky, muscular arm. Attached to a gorgeous, broad shoulder and—fuck. Someone needed to sedate me before I got anymore grand ideas.

Erwin didn’t live far, only a five minute drive through the city. He asked minor questions in the form of small talk along the journey. When I got into dancing, where I dance, about what school I went to. He asked why I didn’t have a place to stay, and I was surprisingly honest. I told him about how my parents kicked me out, and how they took away my car. How I was spending too much money, and that’s why I got kicked out and cut off in the first place. He didn’t speak while I told him the mostly short version of the story. He simply nodded along, humming every so often, allowing me to vent.

We pulled into yet another parking garage and I helped myself out of Erwin’s Cadillac. “Um, what is Hanji’s job?”

“She’s Levi’s doctor. He hires her on personally for every fight, just in case. He’s had…more than a few problems with his right shoulder. She’s mostly just a precaution, hardly ever needed, but y’know. She’s also good company, although Levi will never admit it,” Unlike Hanji and Levi’s apartment building, Erwin’s building didn’t have its own doorman. Or maybe it was just because of the late hour. Despite that, though, Erwin’s building seemed twice as fancy as Levi’s and Hanji’s put together. With marble everywhere, beautiful paintings on every wall, a ginormous chandelier. The whole nine yards. “I think most of the time she forgets that she’s there as a doctor. She has fun screaming.”

I chuckled. Despite hardly knowing her, and having only one shared conversation with her, I could definitely see that.

One more awkward elevator ride later, Erwin was opening his apartment door for me and allowing me inside first. He flipped on the light behind me, and I raised an eyebrow in secret. It was plain, mostly. The walls were white. Off-white carpet. A plain black couch. A single TV. A small coffee table. The place looked hardly lived in. Almost too clean for comfort, if that was possible.

I realized why I hated it so much. It reminded me of my house. Never being allowed to touch anything, in fear that something will break or get dirty. Never being allowed to do what you please. Everything was too crisp, too cold. It made me uncomfortable, and had I known I would feel this way, I would have opted for Hanji’s uncomfortable couch. Hell, I might’ve even stayed with Levi, surrounded by pictures of his girlfriend and autographed photos of people I didn’t know anything about.

But Erwin didn’t have a single picture hanging up on the wall, or sitting on the mantle. Not even a painting. There wasn’t a speck of dust in sight, either. It felt weird.

“I’m sorry it’s a bit of a mess,”

_Was he fucking with me?_

Despite that, I wanted to be polite for once in my life. No more snarky comments, at least not for the rest of the night, and certainly not to Erwin. He was opening his home to me willingly and kindly. His cold, uncomfortable, totally uninformative home.

“Let me show you around,” He led me through the foyer and into the practically empty living room. He gestured to a closed, white door to his right. “That’s my bedroom. This down here,” He led me down a hallway to our left, in the opposite direction of his bedroom. “Is the restroom. This door here is the guest room, where you’ll be sleeping. Down at the end is the laundry room if you want to wash your clothes. I’ll find some extra clothes for you to sleep in, since you don’t have your stuff.”

Oh, right…my stuff was still at Armin’s where I thought I’d be staying.

“The kitchen goes right off of the living room. Feel free to roam through the pantry at three am, I’m a heavy sleeper.” I half-heartedly chuckled at his joke. “That’s pretty much it. Go on in, I’ll go find you some clothes. You can shower if you want to, but it’s pretty late so it’s up to you.”

“That’s okay,” I called out. “I dance tomorrow morning anyways, I’ll shower after that.”

He didn’t respond, already down the hall, long legs moving him fast. I turned the knob to the guest room and led myself inside, taking a few longer moments than necessary to find the light switch. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting to see, but the guest room was much the same. All white. Uncomfortably clean. But on the bright side, there was a TV and when I turned it on, there was a Netflix account, so I could go along with my usual nightly activities of binge watching Friends for the eighth time.

Erwin returned moments later with a pair of clean boxers that would most definitely be a bit big on my dainty hips, and a black t-shirt. I said a quick thanks, and he bid me goodnight after asking if I needed anything, to which I quickly declined.

But before I could close the bedroom door, I swung it back open quickly and called after him before I could stop myself and think my decision through. “Hey, Erwin?”

“Yes, Eren?”

“Um,” I shook my head. “I—sorry, you’re probably so tired. It’s been a long night, it’s almost four in the morning—“

“What is it, Eren?”

“Uh,” I crossed my arms over my chest, leaning awkwardly against the doorframe. “What do you think? About me accepting Levi’s offer—to be his manager?”

Erwin smiled at my question, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He looked suave, even in shitty lighting and dark circles under his eyes that probably matched mine. Erwin Smith, I realized, was probably everything my parents ever wanted me to be. Professional, private, clean, stern yet gentle. I was the exact opposite. Angry and hyper and loud and obnoxious and unorganized.

“You want my honest opinion? I think you should give it a shot. Levi isn’t always very forgiving, and yet he still wants you to work for him. Clearly he see’s something in you, and you should take it to heart. He doesn’t see hardly anything in hardly anyone, not usually, but for him to offer you a job on the spot, well,” Erwin shrugged, beginning his descend back down the hallway. “You must be very, very special, Eren.”

He disappeared in the vast darkness that drenched the beginning of the hallway, and I sighed heavily, turning on my heel to get back into my bedroom and close the door behind me. It had only hit me then, in that moment, how exhausted I was. My body felt heavy, my eyelids were drooping, my brain was fried and my emotions had long since left me for dead somewhere in a mental ditch. I was shutting down, turning off, finished. Like some kind of robot.

Life, once again, had flipped me on my stomach and fucked me in the ass, dry. And I had a feeling it wasn’t finished with me just yet.

***

I was more than grateful when I got to the studio the next morning and hardly anyone was there except for Sasha, Connie, and Petra. It was still pretty early, so most people were probably sleeping in or working.

“Wow,” Connie said. “You look like shit. You alright?”

“Yeah,” I lied. “I’m good.”

“Where were you yesterday?” Petra asked, grabbing the heel of her foot and stretching, her legs spread wide on either side of her. “You’re usually always here on Saturday.”

“Um, yeah, long story,” I shrugged, taking a seat down on the floor next to them to stretch. “I’ll tell it another time. For now, I’m just hoping to God that I have extra dance clothes in my locker right now.”

Sasha raised a suspicious eyebrow. “What’s going on? Why wouldn’t you have clothes with you?”

“Guys, chill, okay?” I mumbled, putting my legs out in front of me and leaning forward to grab my toes. “It’s no biggie, just don’t feel like talking about anything right now. I said I’d tell you another time.”

They dropped it after that. Thankfully, they seemed to sense my mood and mostly left me alone.

My phone vibrated next to me. I expected it to be yet another text from Armin, apologizing in vain once more, but it wasn’t. The name that flashed across my screen made my skeleton practically jump out of my skin.

 **Levi Ackerman:** _Where are you, brat? Eyebrows just woke up and you aren’t in his apartment. He doesn’t have your number so he asked me to text you._

My breath hitched for some reason. The thought of Levi, the thought of his lips on mine, it all came rushing back. More so, the thought of his offer had my head reeling. I’d went the whole morning without so much of a thought involving Levi, and now it was all rushing back to me, along with short-lived confusion on who ‘eyebrows’ was. I had to assume he meant Erwin Smith.

_Um. How did you even get my number??_

I ignored my phone for a bit after that. Was it really any of their business where I spent my free time? I’d only just met those people. They didn’t have much right to keep tabs on me.

But I couldn’t act that way. It felt wrong to get angry with them. Not after Levi offered me a job, even after I ditched him with a case of blue balls, and Erwin opened his home to me.

My phone buzzed again after the two-minute mark, reminding me of the text.

 **Levi Ackerman:** _I had your phone, remember? I programmed my number in. You’re not very good at passwords by the way. ‘0000’ is shitty._

I rolled my eyes before typing back.

_At dance studio._

I dropped it after that, putting my phone to the side, not bothering to see if he’d replied. He’d just have to wait, if he even cared. I was sure he didn’t. He probably had better things to do, being a big shot fighter and all that.

I usually tended to spend all of my mornings at the dance studio, and some evenings. Most classes were in the mornings, which made my life a lot easier cause then I always had the whole day to myself. I taught the kids class, and the young adults class usually. They were talented kids—all of them. But I typically chose a very specific group of girls, as carefully as possible, when we’d either be entering competitions, or filming a dance routine to put up online. The girls had a competition next week. It didn’t look like they’d be coming back with gold anytime soon.

And my God—was it frustrating.

“Okay—no, Sabrina, you’re gonna have to be sharper. I’ve told you ten times now, that move needs to be both sharp and fluid. If it’s too fluid, it’ll look sloppy. Too sharp, you look like a malfunctioning robot. Try to find a good in-between, okay? Okay, so from the top. Five, six, seven—!” My count came to a stuttering stop when I saw a familiar face walk in, sunglasses covering his eyes, wearing a black t-shirt that hugged his muscles perfectly.

“Hey,” He said casually, pulling his glasses off.

I rose my eyebrows. My class fell silent. You can imagine their reactions—a group of four teenaged girls, mouths watering at the man in front of them. Sadly, I felt like one of them. What the hell was I thinking, ditching that hot piece of ass last night? Oh right—girlfriend.

Petra walked into the room, still in her ballet clothes and I heard her whisper, “Oh hot damn.” Maybe a little too loudly.

I laughed awkwardly, lowering my voice. “What are you doing here? I’m teaching a class.”

“When will you be done?”

“A…A few minutes. Why?”

“We’re going to lunch. I’ll wait, though. No rush.”

My jaw dropped, and I had to take a moment to consider my options. Fight with him here and now, demand to know why he was forcing me to go to lunch, interrupt my class, and traumatize my students. Or suffer through the next ten minutes with him watching me, then demand answers later.

I cleared my throat, trying to regain control of myself as Levi moved to the side to stand in the corner of the room. “Um, okay,” I mumbled towards the girls. “One more time. With music. From the top. And then uh—we’ll be done for the day, okay?”

Thankfully, halfway through the routine, I’d practically forgotten Levi was there. Well—okay, it ended up being pretty embarrassing when the routine was over and he’d just witnessed me acting fucking crazy.

“No! Sabrina, I said fluid! Do you wanna be made fun of on YouTube, ‘cause this is going on the site! It’s gonna go fucking viral! Jesus, why the hell can’t you guys be in tune with each other? You guys are _so_ off right now. Stop, stop! Everyone stop! We’ll fix this on Tuesday. Everyone go. Practice at home, you all need it.”

They all sighed and turned, heading towards the locker room.

“Wow, harsh,” I practically jumped out of my skin hearing his voice. I wasn’t sure if it was because he really did scare me, as if I’d forgotten he was there, or if it was because he made me nervous now that he wasn’t sucking on my neck. He was slipping his sunglasses back on. “Come on. Lunch.”

I laughed in disbelief, crossing my arms over my chest, making no move to follow him. “And what makes you think I wanna go to lunch with you?”

Levi turned and smiled, a sarcastic smile, pulling his sunglasses off of his face. I gasped, taking an actual step back. Jesus—what has my life come to? Did he actually just take my breath away? “Did I do something to you?”

I sucked in air harshly through my nostrils. “I don’t know, did you?”

He raised an eyebrow, sarcastic smile disappearing completely. “What?”

I shook my head quickly. “You have a girlfriend, Mr. Ackerman.”

There was a moment of tense silence. A moment where he seemed to be at a loss from my comment, or maybe it was a look that said, ‘Uh-oh, he knows’ but I couldn’t be sure, so I said nothing. But the longer the silence dragged out, the more I had to question myself. What if I was wrong? I mean, I was sort of making an assumption. I mean, it’s not like they were making out in any of those pictures…I didn’t see any girly stuff around the apartment. And there were only two pictures of her. I mean, shit, what if I _was_ wrong after all? Which would mean not only inevitable mortification, but it would also mean I denied myself hot, rough, _dirty_ sex with a stunning man for no fucking reason.

Levi put his sunglasses back on his face, and turned on his heel to walk out. “You comin’? I’m hungry, and you’re holding us up.”

Even to my own surprise, I ended up following.

  
It was a ten minute silent drive to this fancy little lunch cafe that we ended up at—a place that looked far too expensive to be selling salads and sandwiches and light pastas, a place I definitely couldn’t afford. So I decided I’d probably end up saying I’m not hungry and just get water.

There was a line of people outside waiting, but they seated us the second Levi and I walked inside, which blew my fucking mind, and if I were the people still waiting, I’d be pissed. Some part of me felt kind of embarrassed, so I didn’t look anyone in the eye.

I hummed as we sat down at a round table with five chairs, but we were the only two there. “Ah yes, our imaginary friends are here. No wonder we needed a five top table.”

Levi sighed, as though being in my very presence was exhausting. “Erwin, Hanji and Mikasa are joining us.”

I didn’t ask who Mikasa was. Maybe it was his girlfriend. Or maybe it was just another person on his team. Maybe Mikasa was a boy with a feminine name. The possibilities were endless.

I leaned back in my chair and looked around, arms crossed over my chest. I felt unbelievably underdressed, and dirty. Everyone looked so nice—some of them looking like they’d just gotten out of church, and they probably had considering it was Sunday. I was still in my old dance clothes—a pair of grey, tight sweatpants that made my ass look pretty fucking nice, if I do say so myself, and a Guns N’ Roses t-shirt. This weekend really couldn’t get any worse.

“Eren, you still have your sunglasses on. That’s rude.”

My eyebrows lifted in surprise, but I made no move to take them off. “Levi, there are starving children in Africa.”

“What the hell does that have to do with anything?”

“I don’t know, but this place probably just throws all of their food in the damn trash at the end of the day instead of giving it to the fucking homeless or some shit, so why should I care if I’m rude or not?”

“Okay,” Levi sighed. “This conversation is taking an unexpected turn, just—please take your fucking sunglasses off, you look hungover.”

I grunted and pulled them off, throwing them down on the table in front of me. I wondered if anyone around us could feel the tension between Levi and I, and I wasn’t even sure where it was coming from. Last night, we’d been all over each other. He was kind to me, and me to him. I even told him that I hadn’t orgasmed in five years, which was mortifying in many ways. I guess ditching someone before sex is a no-no. I wouldn’t know that cause I used to do it to Jean all the time, and the issue was never addressed.

Levi took a deep breath. “Thank you.”

“Uh-huh.”

Erwin and Hanji came in at that moment, Hanji fighting to sit down next to me, while Erwin moved to take his seat next to Levi, who was in front of me. That left one seat for that Mikasa girl, right between me and Levi.

“You’re all sweaty!” Hanji laughed. “Dance went well? Film anymore?”

I couldn’t help but to smile. “Ah—no. I just went in to teach a class.”

“Were you making a routine?”

“Well, it was my routine but I’m letting the younger group use it, and they’ll be using it for a competition. But it will still be choreographed by myself.”

Hanji looked like she was practically on the verge os squealing. “That is _so_ cool!”

“Levi,” A girl walked in. She was dressed in all black, and I noticed her to be the girl from the photos. She looked strong, like Levi. It made me slightly uncomfortable. I was about to sit next to the girl that Levi cheated on, with me. She gave a small smile in my direction as she took her seat. “Who’s this?”

“This is Eren Jaeger,” Levi answered. “I’m hoping he’ll be my new manager since someone quit on me.” He gave her a pointed look, but it was mostly playful. “Eren, this is Mikasa Ackerman. My _sister_.” My eyes widened.

_Oh my God. Oh my fucking Jesus. Oh my God! This weekend really did just get worse!_

It was truly the most embarrassing thing. Possibly even more embarrassing than walking in on your best friend having sex with your ex. Yeah, definitely more embarrassing than that moment. Way more fucking embarrassing.

“Um, hi,” I gave her a handshake. Her grip was firm.

“You, uh,” Levi was smiling, all too knowingly. The bitch knew. “You probably saw a picture of her in my apartment yesterday.”

I cleared my throat awkwardly. “Yeah. I did. It’s really nice to meet you, Mikasa.”

“You as well,” She was smiling, completely clueless. Erwin and Hanji had caught on though, at least to something. They looked mostly concerned, a little confused, like they wanted an explanation but I’d be damned if anyone else finds out about this. “You look familiar.”

Levi said, “He use to be a stripper.” At the exact same time that Hanji said, “He’s in a ton of those viral dance videos!”

The table went silent. I opted, in that awkward moment, to glare at Levi, because it was completely unnecessary information to be giving out, and absolutely not his secret to share. His high hopes of getting me on his team weren’t looking so good.

“No, it’s not that,” Mikasa said finally. “I don’t watch dance videos or go to clubs…but there’s something about you…” She shook her head. “I’ll figure it out. Let’s eat.”

Levi scoffed at me when I told the waitress that I just wanted water and ordered me some kind of Chicken Panini and a salad. He tried to order me some kind of strawberry kids drink, with this smug little look on his face, but after some argument, I got to stick with water, so long as I agreed to order food and let him pay for me.

His exact words, when the waitress walked away were, “I know you’re fuckin’ broke, kid. What kind of piece of shit would I be if I forced you to come to lunch then made you pay?”

I wanted to say, _“You’d be a normal person if you forced me to come eat with you then still made me pay. Normal people do that.”_ I didn’t say that though, for the sake of keeping things civil.

I also wanted to flip him off for letting the whole table know I’m broke, but the deed was done and there was no since in getting pissed about it now.

“Oh, wait, I know!” Mikasa finally said, slapping her hand down onto the table and giving me an intense, wide-eyed look. I jumped back in surprise, practically knocking into Hanji. “A good friend of mine at work has a picture of you on his desk!”

“Ah, oh, how nice,” It’d be really fucking creepy if I didn’t know the person. “Who?”

“Armin Arlert. You know him, right? ‘Cause that’d be awkward if you didn’t.”

I nodded slowly, trying not to look like I wanted to stab myself in the hand with the fork that was sitting in front of me, but I doubted I was doing a very good job. Because I definitely wanted to stab myself in the hand with that fork. “Yeah! Yeah, I know him.”

“His boyfriend comes in all the time, too—but he’s pretty annoying.”

For some reason, in that moment, it didn’t quite click. “Boyfriend?”

“Yeah, that Jean guy,” Mikasa leaned in to take a drink of her water, my dropped jaw going unnoticed. “He’s like, all over Armin the whole fucking time he visits, and it’s annoying as hell. Kinda wanna punch that guy in the face. Like—constantly grabbing Armin’s ass. Super weird to do at work, you know? Can’t believe you didn’t know, considering you’re close enough for him to have a picture of you,” Mikasa laughed half-heartedly, suddenly seeming to sense my discomfort. “I mean, they’ve been dating for like two years.”

I choked on fucking air, right there at the table. Hanji started beating on my back, and I waved her off aggressively, an embarrassing amount of tears rushing to my eyes. I tried to pass it off like it was just my choke-fest that made my eyes water, but it was pretty clear that that wasn’t the case when I stood from the table and spoke with an embarrassingly cracked voice. “U-Um, if you’ll all just excuse me for a moment.”

I ran to the back of the restaurant where I assumed the restroom was, weaving between tables of people eating their lunch, going along with their wonderful, beautiful lives, enjoying their days, _not_ spending their afternoon crying in a public restroom.

I closed and locked the door behind me, thankful that it was a single restroom and didn’t have multiple stalls. That’d be awkward. My back slid down the door, sobbing uncontrollably. I was sure anyone nearby could hear, but maybe if they had an ounce of respect for fucking society they’d ignore my sadness like a decent fucking human being.

Only a few moments later, there was a gentle knock on the door.

“Someone’s in here, dick wad!” I yelled, fighting back another sob. “Can’t you _hear?_ ”

“I know,” It was Levi’s voice. “It’s me. Eren, let me in.”

I sniffled. “No, I’m ugly.”

“No, you’re not,” He said gently. “You’re beautiful. Let me in.”

I scoffed, decidedly ignoring him.

Another knock, about twenty seconds later. “I’m not leaving this door until you let me in, so you may as well just unlock the door. I don’t care if I have to sit on this damn floor while I eat, I’ll do it.”

Something told me he wasn’t joking.

I sighed, standing to my feet and unlocking the door. It swung open after a few hesitant moments. His eyes locked on my most likely swollen and red ones before he slipped in with me, locking the door behind him. I noticed that my sunglasses were hanging on his shirt next to his, but I didn’t question it.

I sighed and sunk down on the floor again, hugging my knees to my chest. He seemed to wait for a moment before doing the same, and I noticed how careful he was not to let his skin touch the floor. Any other time, it might’ve made me laugh, but now wasn’t the time for laughter.

“Mind telling me what happened out there?”

My eyes locked with his, my cheek falling to rest on one of my knees. “Armin is the guy who interviewed you last night. My best friend. Jean is my…very recent ex-boyfriend.”

It seemed to take a long time for it to click in Levi’s head. Like, a whole twenty seconds of confusion on his face. Maybe even longer. But then it all seemed to fit together, and his eyes narrowed.

“When I left your place last night, to go to Armin’s,” My voice cracked again. This time, I didn’t even care. “I walked in…on them…”

“Oh, _Eren,_ ” His hand grasped my leg, like he were trying to comfort me, and he sighed. “Jesus…”

“I didn’t know it’d been going on for that long,” I sobbed. “And when she said…that Jean was like, all over Armin all the time…I don’t get it! He never touched me almost the whole time we dated. Even when we were having sex, it was like he did everything he could to avoid touching me. And he’d never let me talk or move.”

Levi ran a hand through my hair. “He’s a fucking jackass, Eren.”

“What if,” I hiccuped, looking away shyly. “Maybe I just wasn’t like…good, y’know? Like maybe I was a turn-off or something…”

“You know that’s not true,” Levi said sternly, shoving my shoulder with his own to get my attention back on him. “In the ten minutes I got to have my hands on you last night, I knew you would be the best I’d ever have.”

I snorted. “You’re just saying that.”

“No, I’m not,” His voice dropped to a whisper. “Obviously, I never got to have you, but you’re exciting, Eren. You’re responsive and sexy and he’s crazier than hell if you didn’t turn him on. I mean, he’s already crazy for cheating on you in the first place, but now—honestly, Eren, I’ve never wanted to beat someone’s ass more than I do right now.”

I managed to laugh at that, even if only for a moment. Letting out a shaky sigh, I stretched my legs out in front of me and leaned back against the white, dirty bathroom wall.

“He grabs Armin’s ass,” I vented. “He never grabbed my ass.”

“That’s nuts, you have an incredible ass.”

“I know, right? It won’t fucking quit.” He laughed, and I looked over in surprise. It was a laugh I hadn’t been expecting. The kind that forces you to throw your head back without thinking, and your eyes squeeze shut, and you don’t really care how ridiculous you look. But just like in everything else, Levi didn’t look ridiculous, not even remotely. He looked hot, just like always.

“Here,” He finally said, handing me my sunglasses. “I’ll let you wear these if you want. Y’know, for the children in Africa.”

I giggled, slipping them on my face to cover my bloodshot, puffy eyes. “Thanks. We probably shouldn’t make that joke in public, by the way.”

“Yeah, definitely not,” He helped me to my feet. “You good? Or you need a few more minutes?”

“I’m okay,” I moved towards the restroom door, unlocking it but held it closed, hesitating. “Hey, Levi?”

“Yeah, brat?”

I rolled my eyes at his choice of nickname. “Um…I’ll do it. I’ll be your manager person or whatever. If you still want me.”

He smirked. “Of course I still want you. Welcome to the team.”

I had a feeling that those words had more than one meaning. It sent a chill down my spine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ghdktgnfhtkuergjeuktkebgeukgtke omg levi is so fuckING SmiTTEN RIGHT NOW Y'ALL.  
> P.S. to anyone angry about the Armin drama: please chiiillllllll. it's a story. and there will be redemption so just take a deep breath y'all!!!!


	4. Pro Fighter is Ready to Kick Some Ass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to apologize in advance for any grammatical errors, like I've said previously, my proof-reading skills are shit!! Thank you all so much for all of the lovely feedback and such. It's sooooo appreciated, you have no idea.  
> Also, I've been going through a hard time lately, just trying to pull myself back up onto my feet, and sometimes my moods and emotions show through in my writing, so I apologize for hurting Eren so much ngjrehtgrnksjhtkw I hate myself. Just know that Levi absolutely worships the ground he walks on, and all will be well ;)  
> Enjoy!!!

_ Chapter 4 _

I got a text from Jean later that day, asking if I could meet him and if we could exchange each other’s things. I didn’t have much of his. A hat, a jacket, maybe a pair of sweatpants, and a couple of love letters he’d written me early in our relationship that started in high school. I didn’t really need to throw those things in the box, but I wanted to, just to be petty. Just to remind him. Or maybe I just wanted them gone forever. But he had important things of mine, things I held dear, so I agreed to meet him at his house, but only if he retrieved my suitcase from Armin’s apartment for me before I came, and he agreed.

I took a cab from Erwin’s. Erwin and Levi were at the gym training, so I didn’t have to explain myself to anyone, thankfully. Sadly, all of the things I had of Jean’s were at my parent’s house. If I was lucky, Dad wouldn’t be home and I could get in, and get out with only Mom noticing my presence. It was much easier to deal with my Mother.

“Eren, honey,” She said, once she’d opened the door, giving me a surprised look. “Are you okay?”

“Uh, yeah, Mom,” I lied, slipping inside. “I just need to grab a few more things. I’ll be out of your hair in just a second.”

“You don’t have to leave so soon—“

“I do, actually,” I shuffled inside of my bedroom, which I’d torn apart the previous day trying to get all of my stuff together. I grabbed everything I could find of Jean’s, including those few love letters, and began carrying all of it to the garage. All the while, Mom following me.

“What’s going on, Sweetie?”

“Told you, just grabbing some stuff,” I mumbled, swinging the garage door open to find a cardboard box to throw Jean’s shit into. I found one in the corner on a shelf. “I have to go meet Jean now. I don’t wanna leave the Uber waiting, Mom.”

“Meet Jean? Are those his things? Honey, did you two break up?”

I sighed, finally turning to look at her. I was tired of all of the questions. “Yeah, Mom. Yesterday. Right before you and Dad kicked me out of my own fucking house. Can I just go now? I don’t wanna be here when Dad gets back.”

There was a moment of silence. I shuffled from one foot to the other awkwardly while she stared at me, eyes narrowed. “Honey…you—I…I’m so sorry. I just—I thought—“

“Don’t worry about it,” I pressed the garage door button to show myself out. “Bye, Mom.”

“I’ll call you tomorrow, Sweetie.”

I didn’t want her to, but I didn’t say those words.

I let myself back into the Uber, giving the driver directions on where to go. “Hey,” I said after a few silent moments, except for the radio. “You don’t have a pen and paper, do you?”

“Uh—yeah. Here you go.”

He reached behind my seat to shuffle around in the seat’s back pocket. He handed me a notepad that said ’Math’ on it, with a pen stuck in the spiral. He shrugged. “It’s my Math class notebook—sorry. Just ignore all the numbers scribbled in there.”

I chuckled to be polite. “No biggie.”

_Dear Jean,_

_This letter is, decidedly, pointless. Maybe even pathetic. But that’s okay. I’ll make it short._  
_For five years, I thought you were my best friend. I thought we told each other everything. Sure, we weren’t the most affectionate. You hardly ever wanted to touch me, or make eye contact. I thought that was just you. I thought nothing of it. I’ve been thinking that our breakup was my fault. Like, maybe I did something wrong. Maybe I wasn’t attractive enough, or sexy enough. Maybe I wasn’t smart enough. Maybe I talked too much. All of those things may be true, but then I realized something._  
_It wasn’t me, Jean. It was you._  
_I didn’t need a rival, but that’s all you were to me. You were never my friend, my companion, you weren’t even my lover. I wasn’t any of that to you, either. I did everything I could to please you. At least, I tried._  
_I found out today that you’ve been cheating on me for two years with Armin. Maybe even longer than that. And who knows with who else._  
_I don’t think I deserved that._  
_I find myself being ashamed of myself. Ashamed that I never noticed. Feeling like a fool. Feeling like you’ve been laughing at me behind my back this whole time—the both of you._  
_You told me, before I left, that I’d never make it without you. I think I’m gonna be okay. Thanks, though._

_Eren._

I folded the letter and wrote his name on the front. I didn’t have an envelope, but that was okay. Part of me hoped it’d get all ripped up in the box. I placed it at the bottom, underneath a sweatshirt of his, next to all of the other letters.

The Uber pulled up in front of Jean’s house. He was sitting on the front porch, a box and my suitcase to his right, and his dog, Titan, to his left.

“You can go, I guess,” I said gently. “It may get kinda ugly.”

“I can just go a few houses up if you want. I don’t mind waiting.”

I sighed, then nodded in agreement. “Okay. That works. Thank you.”

I stepped out of the car with shaking legs. Shaking arms. Shaking hands and fingers. Trembling all over. Titan came bounding up to me ahead of Jean, jumping excitedly, sniffing curiously at the unfamiliar scent all over me. For some reason, it made me think that Titan has probably seen Jean and Armin have sex, too, and that thought actually disgusted me more than when I walked in on it. The fact that there’s been a close eye witness to all of this. It was kind of a ridiculous thing to suddenly be upset about.

“Here’s your stuff,” I dropped the box onto the ground at Jean’s feet gently. “Some clothes. Shit from high school. Your dumb class ring is in there, too. Some kinda mixtape that I think you made me like, forever ago.”

He sighed, gently shoving it out of the way with his foot before stepping nearer to me. I took a step back, instinctively. He furrowed his brows, his face showing hesitation to make another move, before he handed me a bigger box of my own things.

I took it, using one arm to hold it, and rummaging through it with my other to make sure everything was there. I looked up at him with raised eyebrows. “Uh? Dog bowl? Collar? Leash?”

“I want you to take Titan.”

“What? Dude—“

“Eren, you bought him for me. And you trained him. He listens to you, he likes you better. You’re his Master, not me. I never was. Besides, I’ve been super busy. It’s not fair to him that I’m never home. Just take him, Eren. You love him.”

I looked down. Titan laid at my feet, panting, looking around calmly. This felt like dog custody.

“Uh—fine. Whatever.”

I’d have to figure something out. I wasn’t sure how Erwin would feel about a German Shepherd being in his clean and tidy house.

I continued to rummage through the box, looking expectantly for a particular necklace that I’d given Jean a couple of years ago—and one that I’d fully expected back, but was no where in the box.

“Uh, where’s the key?”

“The what?”

“The key. The _necklace_. Where the fuck is it?”

“Well…I kinda thought I’d keep that—“

“No,” I laughed in disbelief. “No, no. I think the fuck not. You know how much that key means to me. My Oma gave that to me.”

“Eren—“

I dropped the box I was holding at his feet, half the contents spilling out onto the grass. I stomped my way up the yard and up to the front porch, welcoming myself inside.

“Eren!”

“Where the fuck is—“ I stopped mid-sentence. There was a girl standing in the kitchen. A girl I didn’t recognize, but looked like she could’ve been in a model look-a-like contest. She was wearing a tank top, no bra, and a thong. Long blonde hair fell over one shoulder. She was in the middle of biting into a strawberry when I’d stomped in. Her eyes were wide, confused. I wondered if she had the slightest clue what was going on.

I laughed, deciding to ignore her, before stomping into the hallway to Jean’s room, more determined to find my necklace than to concern myself with yet another person that Jean’s decided to take responsibility for. I threw his bedroom door open.

“Eren, stop! I’ll get it okay?! Just—“

“There you are,” I said, satisfied, picking it up off of Jean’s dresser and throwing it around my neck. “See? That’s all I wanted. I don’t give a shit about miss Farrah Fawcett in there. Don’t worry, I won’t tell any of your other side jobs. This isn’t my problem anymore.”

“Others?” The girl gasped from the kitchen. “Jean, what’s he talking about?”

I laughed again, unable to stop myself. “Oh, honey, I’m the original. Take it from me and run as fast as those pretty little legs can carry you.”

“Eren—“

“You know what, Jean?” I snapped, silently applauding the mystery girl as she seemed to take my advice, hurrying to grab all of her stuff. It looked like they hadn’t even made it to the bedroom—both of their clothes strewn across the kitchen and living room. “You’re disgusting. You’re pathetic, and weak, and you are not a man. You’re just like your stupid fucking _Father!_ ”

What I wasn’t expecting, when those words passed my lips, was the sudden pain shooting through my face. I yelped, my back hitting the door behind me, my hand whipping up to hold my nose. I could hear Titan barking, but it sounded far off, distant. Maybe a snarky comeback was expected. A snarl. A threat, even. But a _punch?_ Not so much. As miserable as Jean had made me in the past few years, he'd never physically hurt me. Not until now. But then again, maybe I deserved it.

I let out a choked sound when I saw the blood covering my fingers before throwing myself out the front door to retrieve my things, Titan hot on my heels, and the mystery girl not far behind. “You’re a fucking piece of shit and I hope that one of these days you get someone pregnant and ruin your life.”

“Eren—I didn’t mean to, I—“

“Oh, I think you did,” I hurried to scoop my things off the ground. “You’re gonna die alone, Jean. Cold and alone, with nothing but your guilty conscious to keep you company.”

Nothing else was said. Droplets of blood were falling onto my shirt as I dragged my suitcase behind me with one arm, held a box of my things in the other, and Titan trotted along beside me all the way to the Uber driver’s car. I was grateful, now, that he’d waited for me even when I’d asked him to leave.

I swung the back door open and threw my shit in. “Hope you don’t mind a dog. Get in, Titan.”

“Uh—yeah, no problem—whoa, you okay? Should I call the police?”

“No, he’s not worth it,” I snapped, getting into the front seat. “You got a tissue? No, Titan. Stop licking my face. I don’t need your help—I need a fucking _tissue_.”

***

I nervously anticipated Erwin’s reaction upon walking in with a giant dog, a bloody nose, and a slightly black eye. In fact, it felt like my entire face was throbbing. It was only ten minutes later in the Uber that I’d wished I’d fought back. But he threw a hard punch, and who knows what I’d look like now had I actually made an attempt to punch him back.

I wasn’t expecting Levi to be there, too, which made the whole situation a lot worse. Erwin seemed pretty avoidable. Levi? Not so much. So I kept my head down as I walked in, quietly welcoming Titan to his new temporary home as well. Erwin and Levi were sitting on the couch, both of them narrowing their eyes in the direction of the dog, but neither of them looked scared, so that was one step in the right direction.

I cleared my throat, dropping my box onto the ground next to the door and picking up Titan’s food and water bowl. Silently, I walked into the kitchen to get Titan some water. He’d been panting the entire car ride and causing a pretty gnarly smell, and I was sick of it. There was a bag of dog food that Jean had been oh-so-kind to give me, too. It’d have to do for tonight.

“Eren?” Erwin called. If anything, he sounded amused, which was a relief. “Care to explain?”

“Um,” I called from the kitchen. “Yeah…I had to go to Jean’s to get some things that he had of mine. And, he asked me to take the dog. I couldn’t really say no, I guess. I’m really sorry—I should’ve asked.”

“Would you mind coming in here for a moment?”

I took a deep, shaky breath before stepping out of the kitchen, leaving Titan to eat his dinner in peace. Again, I kept my head down. “Look, I’m sorry. I feel like I’m really taking advantage of your kindness here, but I can’t give him up. I couldn’t bare to take him to a pound or something. He’s really sweet—“

“Eren,” Erwin’s voice was a bit more stern this time. “I don’t care about the dog. He’s free to stay here as long as you stay here. What I want is for you to look up at me.”

I didn’t, for a long time, weighing out my options. I could say no. I could say I’m tired, then turn around and go to bed. I could just ditch completely, like, grab my shit and run or something.

I didn’t do any of that, of course. I took a deep breath as I lifted my head, refusing eye contact with both of them.

Levi stood abruptly, practically tripping over the coffee table to get closer to me, and I couldn’t help but to laugh, as though it would lighten the mood somehow. But I knew that was near impossible. It was a defense mechanism I’d gained as a child—smile and laugh during hard times, and no one will know you’re actually kind of dying inside.

“Eren, did he do this to you?”

“The dog? No, of course not.”

“Eren,” Levi growled, and my eyes snapped to meet his submissively. I hadn’t been expecting that tone to come out of his mouth, that deep growl to practically force my balls back up inside of my body. “You know exactly who I’m talking about. There’s no dancing around this.”

I shook my head, tears burning my vision. “Look, you don’t even know me. You can’t just come in here and start lecturing me about what I can and can’t dance around, because I can and I _will_ dance around this. It doesn’t matter anyways. I have no reason to ever see him ever again, so just drop it.” My tone and argument wasn’t even half as aggressive as his, more like half-assed and terrified, and I wasn’t sure how well I was doing at hiding it.

His tone softened, and I was suddenly vaguely aware of the hand on my cheek. “I’m not gonna drop it. He hurt you.”

“Yeah, well,” I laughed through an ugly sob. Titan came out of the kitchen, his nose nuzzling my hand. “He’s hurt me in a lot of ways, so.”

“Eren—“

“I asked you to drop it,” I snapped finally, grabbing Titan around the collar to keep him next to me. “And I expect you to respect me enough to do so.”

“I do respect you, you brat. I respect you enough to ask you to go look in a fuckin’ mirror and then tell me what _disrespect_ looks like.”

“I-It’s none of your damn business! We just met! You have no right to pry, that privilege takes like, a solid four months of knowing each other! We’re not there yet.”

“Okay, how about this,” Erwin stood, all kinds of high and mighty, making me feel tiny. “Let’s all sit down and try to understand this whole situation. Believe it or not Eren, this really can’t go unnoticed, and Levi will never let it go until we hear a story. And Levi, perhaps pressuring Eren so aggressively isn’t the best way to go about getting answers.” When Levi, nor I made a move to sit, Erwin’s nostrils flared with what seemed to be buried anger, just begging to reveal itself. “I said, _sit._ ”

Immediately and without hesitation, both Levi and I moved to the couch to sit. Even Titan obeyed, and Erwin patted his head. “Alright, Eren,” Erwin took a seat on the small coffee table in front of us. I hoped it’d hold his giant ass. “Why don’t you tell us what happened? As much as you’re comfortable telling us.”

I nodded once. “Okay. Jean asked if he could have his stuff back, and I said yes, as long as I got my stuff back, too. So we met up at his house. I gave him his shit—it was just some clothes and a class ring he gave me,” I decided it was best to not mention high school letters, or the new one I’d written. “He gave me all of my stuff back, except for this necklace. It wasn’t in the box and I got angry. He thought he’d be allowed to keep it, but it’s important to me. My Oma gave it to me.”

“Oma?”

“My grandmother, sorry. It’s German.” They both nodded. “So, I went into the house to find it. I was just so angry. Angry about the whole thing, and angry that he thought he could keep something that he knew I couldn’t live without. I trusted him with it because I thought he loved me, but now I just feel dirty that I’d ever let him hold onto it in the first place. Anyways…I walked in, and there was a girl in the kitchen. Half-naked, obviously. And it just added fuel to the fire. I mean, cheating on me with Armin was one thing, but he was even cheating on _Armin_. And that girl had no idea what was going on.”

“Eren, what about the act of violence?” Erwin asked gently. “Why did that happen?”

I sighed and bit down on my lip, which tasted of blood from my nosebleed. “I told him he was disgusting and pathetic. I told him he wasn’t a man. And then I think, I…told him that he was just like his Father. And, his Father is pretty awful. He hates his Dad. So he punched me.”

“Eren,” This time, it was Levi speaking, his voice as gentle as he could possibly be, almost as though he were _trying_ to be as soft as possible. I could still hear the shake in his voice. “You know that’s not an excuse for him to hit you, right? Just because you made a comment about his Dad. He still shouldn’t have lost his temper like that. It’s not okay.”

“I know,” I leaned back into the couch cushions, which were surprisingly more comfortable than expected. Exhaustion was starting to truly hit me. “And then I swear that’s it. I left to come back here. He only punched me once, and now I’ll never have to see him again.”

There was a long moment of silence before Erwin stood to his feet. “Eren, I’m glad you’re okay. I’m just sorry the dog didn’t tear his face off.”

I chuckled, reaching my hand down to pet Titan and scratch the top of his head. “Yeah, me too. He’s too much of a softy.”

“Well, I’m going to bed. Levi, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

It seemed a little abrupt for Erwin to suddenly up and leave after all of that. I had a feeling that there was a more primal meaning behind his leave. Like maybe he could sense that despite Levi and I’s fight, I wanted to spend time with him. Or maybe he could sense that Levi wanted to be alone with _me_. But that was probably just hope talking, and hope needed to go the fuck away. I was being ridiculous.

“I’m sorry I, um,” I shrugged, lost on what to say. “I yelled at you and you were just trying to help.”

“I’m sorry I tried to pressure you.”

It was silent again, save for Titan snoring on the ground.

“I’m also sorry I ditched you the other night…it’s really embarrassing. I can’t believe I thought those pictures were of a girlfriend. I should’ve asked before jumping to conclusions.”

“It’s okay, I understand,” I didn’t have to look at him to know he was smirking. “You are something else, Eren Jaeger.”

I giggled. “Should I take that as a compliment?”

“I wouldn’t want you to take it as anything less.”

I hummed, propping my feet up on the coffee table and sinking further into the cushions. “I think you’re wrong about me, Mr. Ackerman.”

“Yeah? Why is that?”

“I grew up privileged. Mean, too.” I sniffled. “I know you think I’m like, great or something, but I’m not. I’m just another brat.”

Levi looked over at me. This time, I decided to ignore the feeling in my stomach and meet his eyes. “Eren, you got kicked out and dumped in the same day. You had the balls to call a professional fighter a dick, ditch me with the worst case of blue balls I’d ever had in my life, lost a friend, basically told a group of teenaged girls they suck at dancing, barged into your ex-boyfriends house uninvited, stole all traces of his masculinity, took that punch like a fucking badass, then practically told me to fuck off tonight. All in one weekend. Sorry, but I still think that your privileged, bratty ass is pretty fucking amazing.”

He left me speechless, but he didn’t seem to notice. He simply looked towards the TV and changed the channel. He wasn’t expecting a reply, and he didn’t seem to need one. Still, I was left dumbstruck, staring at him like a schoolgirl with a crush.

“Hey,” He looked over at me. What I wanted to say was, _kiss me_. It's what I opened my mouth to say. Instead, what came out was, “You’re…I like you, too.”

He lifted a hand to run it through my hair, before turning his head back towards the TV. I fell asleep there.

***

I woke up in the spare bedroom, despite falling asleep on the couch next to Levi. He must’ve carried me here. That thought made me smile and curl up into my pillows, with Titan resting his head on my legs.

That was, until I felt eyes on me.

I peeled my eyes open and peered up, practically jumping out of my skin and falling off the bed when I saw Hanji hovering above me, a maniacal looking smile on her face. What made it worse was that her glasses made her eyes look twice as big. She looked like a bug.

“ _Jesus,_ ” I gasped. “What the fuck?”

“That’s one hell of a black eye. I just came in to check and make sure your nose wasn’t broken. It may have cracked a tiny bit but you’re good! It’s not crooked or anything.”

“Great. Glad to hear it. Can I go back to sleep now?”

“Nope! I let you sleep in as long as I possibly could. I had a song idea for your next video!”

I rolled over, curling back into my pillows. “Is that so?”

“Yeah! It’s that Selena Gomez song—Fetish. I think it’d be really sexy!”

“Okay, thanks for the suggestion. I’ll get—“ I yawned. “—right on that, as soon as I wake up in two hours.”

“ _Ereeeennnnn_ ,” Hanji whined, laying all of her weight on top of me. “Come on! You gotta wake up! Mikasa came over and made breakfast for all of us. Levi’s here, too…Pleeeaaaase?”

“Oh. My. God. Fucking _fine_ , Hanji. I’ll get up on one condition.”

“Anything.”

“Put Titan on a leash and take him to pee. He hasn’t been since last night.”

“Oh, but—Levi took him out twenty minutes ago?”

I peeled my eyes open again and looked up in confusion. “What?”

“Yeah, he came in to check on you as soon as we got here. He wanted to make sure you weren’t like, dead from brain trauma or something, and he just went ahead and took Titan out when he came out of your room.”

“Oh,” I bit down on my lip, curling shyly into my pillows once more. “He came in to check on me?”

Hanji cackled, too loudly considering I’d just woken up. I didn’t have the energy to deal with loud noises at the moment. “You’re blushing!”

“Okay, okay, shut up,” I rolled my eyes, shoving her off of me. “If we’re gonna be friends, I have boundaries. Rule number one, don’t wake me up ever again. Sleep is precious. I need the energy to dance my fucking ass off, or else I’m gonna start hating my life. Rule number two, don’t ever be that loud in the morning’s ever fucking again.”

“Wow,” She giggled. “You sound like Levi.”

I rolled my eyes and pulled myself out of bed, much to my own dismay. Titan lazily followed behind me. I could hear talking in the kitchen, and Mikasa was making what looked to be pancakes. I could also smell bacon.

“Hey, g’morning,” Erwin smiled. “You finally woke up.”

I looked towards the digital clock on the microwave. “It’s fucking nine in the morning. Don’t ever wake me up this early again, for any circumstance. Or I will kick someone in the throat—I don’t care if y’all are big shot fighters, I will fight you.”

Erwin nodded, smiling. “Yes, sir. You’re in charge, after all.”

I glared at him. It was too early in the morning for riddles. “What the fuck are you talking about.”

“You’re my manager now,” Levi explained. “You can hire, you can fire. I’d prefer you do that with my knowing first, though. You get me contracts. You negotiate. Basically,” He gave me a tight-lipped smile. “You manage.”

I nodded and shrugged. “Alright.”

“It used to be my job,” Mikasa smiled. “Don’t worry, you’ll love it if you like bossing people around.”

I smiled and hummed, taking a seat next to Levi. “Oh, I _love_ bossing people around.”

“Let me see you,” Levi mumbled, gently turning my head towards him and holding my chin with his thumb and forefinger. He turned my head from side to side, pursing his lips. “You’ve got a bit of dried blood in your nose. You probably bled in your sleep a little bit…eye looks nasty, but it’ll get better within a few days. Feel okay?”

I smiled at Levi, my eyes following his until he finally looked directly at me. “Isn’t Hanji the doctor here?”

“Yeah, but she’s an awful one. She never takes care of anyone.”

“Hey!” Hanji snapped. “I went in there to check on him, did I not?”

“You didn’t. You went in there to wake him up. You should’ve let him rest longer, he’s had a long ass weekend.”

“Uh, hey,” I laughed uncomfortably to gain their attention. “It’s no biggie, you guys. I’ll get more sleep later. I’m feeling fine. I get nosebleeds all the time anyways, so don’t think much of the dried blood. Trust me, I’m not dying.”

They both mumbled a quiet ‘sorry’ and turned back to their food, looking like a couple of guilty children, and I couldn’t help but to smile.

Erwin cleared his throat. “Eren, I need you to call Nike and get them to sponsor Levi. I’ve been trying to get them to do it for months and they won’t budge.”

“W-Well, what makes you think they’ll budge for me?”

“Well, I don’t know if they will or not, but I want you to give it a shot. You know who sponsors Floyd Mayweather? Burger King. We’re not using a shitty fast food restaurant, I want good companies sponsoring us.”

“Uh, okay,” I said, slightly confused at Erwin’s rant. Calm, cool, collected Erwin—suddenly angered by a Burger King sponsorship. “What’s the number? I’ll call now.”

He gave me the number of a man, who he told me was, “tough as nails” to which I scoffed and pressed the phone to my ear. Hanji giggled, practically shaking in her seat.

“Hello?” Said a deep voice.

“Hi, is this Mr. Zackly?”

“Yes. Who is this?”

“My name is Eren Jaeger, I’m Levi Ackerman’s new manager. I understand that Mr. Smith has called you on a multitude of occasions asking you to sponsor us and that you keep saying no, but—“

“Listen, kid. We’re not sponsoring Ackerman. I’ve said it a million times, and I’l say it a million more. It’s simply not going to happen. I’m done supporting fighters that give nothing back. Move on to McDonalds or something.”

My mouth dropped in shock, and I stuttered. “Wait!” I said, before he could hang up. I heard him sigh. I didn’t know what to say, and I kind of felt like an idiot, being so silent on the other line. I cleared my throat. _Think, Jaeger, think_. “I can guarantee you a win. I can guarantee that he’ll sport your brand at this next fight. People pay attention to Mr. Ackerman, I can assure you, he’s the greatest fighter in the game. You’d be making a huge financial mistake by not sponsoring him.”

There was silence on the other line. For a second, I thought maybe he really had hung up, until I heard him heave a deep sigh. “You’re pretty confident in that, huh, kid?”

“I’m confident that you’ll make double—if not _triple_ —the amount you’d be spending to be our benefactor. For example, if you were to give us one million, you’ll make three million right back. And uh—can I make a suggestion?”

“Can’t promise I’ll like it, but I have a feeling you’ll tell me anyways.”

“If you make a brand new shoe design, specifically for Levi Ackerman to wear in the public eye, everyone will go nuts. Everyone will buy those shoes. By not only sponsoring us, but making us a partner to Nike as well, your company will be making more money than it has in years.”

Again, he heaved another sigh. My stomach was in knots. If he didn’t say yes—the man was a fucking moron, and we’d have to move onto another company altogether. I couldn’t let that happen. I felt the incessant need to prove to Levi, to everyone, that I could do this.

“Alright. I’ll be sending a contract, Mr. Jaeger. You better hope I don’t regret this.”

I smiled wide. “That sounds wonderful, Mr. Zackly! Thank you so much for reconsidering.”

“Yeah, yeah…give me a call if you have any concerns in regard to the contract.” With that, the line went dead, and I slammed my cellphone down onto the table in excitement, my head snapping over to look at Levi so fast that I got whiplash.

I let out an embarrassing little squeal. “We got Nike! Wow, what a fucking rush!”

Erwin laughed. “Great job, Eren. You did wonderful. That was quite the argument—I wish I would’ve thought of that.”

“He’s gonna send over a contract,” I said, leaning back in my chair happily. “Anyone else I need to call?”

Everyone laughed, and I blushed when Levi placed a hand on my knee, patting almost affectionately. Somehow, my heart was still racing. It seemed so silly that it excited me so much to negotiate with some random guy, but I supposed it was in my blood. Mom was a lawyer, after all. I’d been watching her argue firsthand since I could open my eyes. The woman could make legitimate arguments out of silence—and perhaps I was the same way.

“Eren,” Mikasa placed a hand on my shoulder to gain my attention, smiling at me knowingly. “I think anyone who has to cross paths with you is in for one wild ride. Levi needed a manager that wouldn’t back down.”

“Yeah, well,” Levi snorted. “Erwin wasn’t really cutting it. And I knew that anyone who had managed to call me a dick within the first five minutes of meeting me would have the balls to work for me.”

Hanji laughed. “You called him a dick?”

I shrugged shyly. “Yeah. I kind of have a bit of an anger issue. Don’t expect it to be the last time. You’ll probably all get an earful from me at least once in your life. You haven’t lived until you’ve heard me call you seven bad names in one sentence.”

Hanji cackled loud again, just as she had earlier when waking me up. “I can’t wait!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading! Please be sure to leave kudos if you liked this, and I really appreciate all of the support! <3


	5. Snapple Can Kiss My Ass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two months later, Eren is exhausted.  
> Snapple facts piss Eren off.  
> Levi is smitten for his kitten.  
> Jean is an ass, as per usual

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, my sincerest apologized for possible grammatical errors. Enjoy!!

_ Chapter 5 _

_2 months later._

Being Levi’s manager had its pros and cons. As far as pros went, Levi was good to me. Better than he really should’ve been. He’d bought me a brand new cellphone that he put on his line when my parents had cut me off and my phone stopped working, and my Father proceeded to demand I send the phone to them through the mail. Greedy son of a bitch. A couple of weeks later, he bought me a car because, quote, “I’m tired of you taking Uber’s and always being late.” It was a 2016 Audi R8 and when I was finally alone, I cried.

He also tried to get me an apartment, but after much argument, I won. He’d done too much already, without my permission, and I wanted to get my own apartment. I wanted to work hard for something for once in my life.

It was only after I’d said that, that Levi started paying me double. But hey, I wasn’t complaining. Within just a few weeks, I had managed to get my very own apartment, under my very own name (I did let Levi co-sign), only a five minute drive from Levi’s, and a fifteen minute drive from the dance studio.

But that was one of the cons of working as Levi’s manager. I didn’t get to dance as much. Working for Levi was something that mostly kept me pretty busy, and if not busy, completely stressed to the point of tears. Constant phone calls, e-mails, even a few death threats from random people who’d gotten my information online and thought they were talking to Levi himself. They were mostly just scorned fans of people Levi had beaten. I didn’t tell him about any of those.

Levi had a habit of wanting to take care of me. Maybe he felt like he needed to. He was constantly wanting to give me extra cash, whether it be for groceries, a few extra clothes, a haircut. I always refused, because then it started to feel more like he was my “Sugar Daddy” (as Sasha so nicely put it) and then I became paranoid that I’d look like a “Sugar Baby.” (Again, words from Sasha’s mouth).

I wasn’t exactly sure how certified I was to be an athlete’s manager. I was pretty much positive that it probably required more than a couple years of work experience in the stripping field, and four years of I-almost-was-a-doctor, but it didn’t really seem to matter. I’d managed to survive through every obstacle the job threw at me, get every contract we’d ever wanted (tweaked and perfected), every sponsor, ignored every meaningless death threat, get Levi to every event he was meant to attend with not a single issue, and dressed him in the most amazing suits for every one of them. I typically stayed awake at night, worrying about, _what if I missed something?_ _What if Levi misses a meeting, a press conference, an event? All because I hadn’t been paying attention._

Levi had become the center of my entire world, whether I liked it or not.

All the while, I still held the capability to feed myself, take Titan for walks, take care of my apartment, and dance at least twice a week. Showering became more of an inconvenience, because, _what if I miss a call?_ and, _but I’m so tired!_

One Sunday evening I walked into Levi’s apartment to pick up Titan (sometimes Levi wanted to keep him for a couple of days. I thought it was kind of cute) to find Hanji and Erwin already there. They were sitting on the couch.

“You look exhausted,” Hanji said. It was the quietest she’d ever been, and I was more than grateful. “Come here.”

I plopped down between her and Levi, before sprawling out, legs on Levi, head in Hanji’s lap. She used her fingers to massage my temples and run her fingers through my hair. It was the most relaxed I’d felt in a full seventy-seven hours. Trust me, I’d been keeping track, as pathetic as that sounded. But since working for Levi, time had become a precious thing. Every second of the day counted. Every second of sleep became almost expensive—a luxury I couldn’t afford quite yet.

“When’s the last time you slept?” Hanji asked, running her fingers over the dark circles under my eyes gently. “You kind of look like a raccoon—no offense. You should drink more water, too.”

“I honest to God don’t know anymore. I swear, if that guy from Snapple calls me one more time, I’ll reach through the phone and punch him in the throat. I’ve already told him we have enough sponsors. Nike, Mercedes-Benz, and Lowe’s. I worked my ass off to get Mercedes-Benz, by the way. I’m not dropping any of those companies for stupid Snapple.”

“Damn,” Levi smirked, massaging my thigh gently. “What’d Snapple ever do to you?”

“Their facts piss me off. Fish cough? It’s possible to lead a cow _upstairs_ but not _down_? A snail breathes through its foot? They’re ruining my life, honestly. I’ll never drink another Snapple again.”

Hanji cackled. “I like the one where the bullfrog is the only animal that never sleeps. That’s pretty badass.”

“Mmm. I feel like a bullfrog.”

Erwin, unexpectedly as always, jumped into the conversation. “Did you know mosquitos have forty-seven teeth?”

“Ew,” Hanji scowled. “Did you know that no piece of paper can be folded more than seven times?”

Erwin fought back. “No word in the English language rhymes with month.”

“Seriously? Month…moth? No. Month, lunch. _Lunch!_ ”

“No.”

“Month…sonth.”

“That’s not a word.”

“Oh, hey, here’s a good one,” I giggled. “Lizards communicate with push-ups.” I broke into an eruption of laughter, unable to contain myself. I wondered how long it’d been since I’d actually had the time to sit down and laugh. Even if it was about something stupid, like lizards doing push-ups.

Through Hanji and I’s loud, maniacal laughter, Levi sighed heavily. “The mystery continues. Why am I friends with you people?”

It only made me laugh harder.

“Okay, okay. In all seriousness, Eren,” Erwin said, as soon as the laughter had stopped again, before it could start again with another stupid Snapple fact. “You really look exhausted, maybe you should get home and get some sleep.”

“Oh. Yeah, I guess I—“

“Just crash here for the night, brat,” Levi said, slapping at my hip in an act to gain my attention, as if he couldn’t just get my attention by like, clearing his throat or something, because I’m pathetic. “You have clothes here, and I cleaned the spare bedroom since the last time you stayed.”

“Ah yes, because the cleanliness of the spare bedroom that only _I_ have stayed in is what I’m truly concerned about,” I snorted. “Thanks, I think I’ll do that actually. I’m so exhausted. Oh! But I kinda left my car out front, I should go—“

“I’ll do it, where’s your keys?”

I rolled over onto my stomach to reveal my keys, tucked safely into the back pocket of my skinny jeans. His fingers dug in to grab them and Hanji giggled like a schoolgirl, whispering something like, _"_ _he touched the butt."_

Erwin and Hanji left with Levi, and they disappeared in the elevator, leaving Titan and I alone. “Hey, buddy,” I said lazily, scratching his head. “I’m sorry I’ve been away. But you love Levi, right? He takes you to the gym with him, and he takes you on walks and stuff whenever I can’t…and he won’t admit it, but he lets you sleep in his bed, doesn’t he? I’ve seen that dog bed he keeps in there for you. Not a single dog hair. None. I know you sleep in that bed with him. Someday he’ll crack and admit it.”

I got no response, of course, so I showed myself to Levi’s spare bedroom to put on a t-shirt I’d left there, and didn’t bother with sweatpants. The t-shirt would probably come off eventually, too, but for now, I figured it’d be best not to walk around in the nude with Levi around. It was already hard enough not thinking about barking up _that_ tree when we were both fully clothed. I guess almost having sex upon first meeting someone (your boss and friend, at that) can leave some unresolved sexual tension in the air.

I heard the elevator ding, signaling Levi’s return, just as I flopped down on the comfy, king-sized bed and Titan followed, placing his chin right on my ass cheek for his own personal comfort. I giggled, tucking my arms up underneath my chest. “Titan, is there something you’re trying to tell me?”

I heard a familiar chuckle from the doorway. “That ass, huh, Titan?”

A low whine came from the back of Titan’s throat, and both Levi and I laughed as he sat down on the bed next to me, leaning back against the pillows. These moments with Levi were nice. Sure, I really wanted to go to sleep, and Levi’s presence always kind of gave me heart palpitations for no reason, but I enjoyed his company. I would’ve risked my personal health just to stay up all night talking to him and learning about his life.

“So, as you know, this next fight is in Las Vegas.”

“Oh my _God!_ ” I shot up, disturbing Titan’s peace, to frantically look for my cellphone. “I have to book my flight!”

“What? Eren, no, you’ll be with me on the private jet.”

_Private. Fucking. Jet._

“Wait, seriously? You’re serious? You’re sure?”

“Well, obviously. I need you with me. You don’t have to worry about flight tickets. Relax, okay?”

I sighed in relief, flopping back against the pillows, this time closer to Levi. “I don’t think I’ll ever relax again. That just scared the shit out of me. That fight is in like, two weeks and I totally, completely forgot.”

“Hey,” Levi’s voice was gentle, patient even. His fingers pushed hair out of my eyes. “You should get rest tonight and sleep in in the morning. Everything can wait until you wake up tomorrow. Nothing is more urgent than getting rid of those ugly dark circles right now, and probably taking a shower the second you wake up. It looks like it’s been awhile.”

I snorted. “Thanks for telling me I smell. Anyways, what were you gonna say about Vegas?”

“Do you wanna make a whole weekend trip out of it? I don’t want to just fight then come home immediately after. We could probably all use the break. We can go to casinos, gamble, drink—“

I gasped. “Can we go see a show?! I know it’s probably not your thing, but—“

“Eren, Eren. We can go see a show. In return, all I ask is that you take a second to fuckin’ breathe. I know this job can be kind of stressful, and I’m glad you’re doing such an amazing job, but you’ve gotta learn to pace yourself. This stuff can wait, you know? You can call people back, you can wait longer than five minutes to reply to an e-mail, you don’t have to read an entire contract in under ten minutes. I’m not asking you to be some kind of superhuman. I want you to take care of yourself.”

I hesitated for a moment, eyes droopy, before finally looking up at him, my lips grazing the skin of his arm by accident, but I didn’t move away. Whether that was because I was too tired to move again, or I wanted to feel his skin on my lips, I wasn’t sure. I was too tired to analyze my own actions. “I’m sorry. I just don’t want to mess anything up. You’ve been so good to me, and you’ve done so much for me. I owe you everything, Levi.”

He hummed, the back of his hand rubbing against my cheek. “Eren.”

“Yeah?”

Silence, is what I was met with. And his eyes glued to mine. They held something different in this moment. He tended to look at me blankly, but this time was different. This time, he reminded me of a child. A lively, curious, happy child. I noted that he’d never looked so young, so carefree. I wanted to freeze this moment in a frame. I wanted to see him like this more often. It became more prominent how troubled he truly was in moments like these—the moments that the trouble seemed to vanish, if only momentarily.

“Uh—“ He cleared his throat. Time returned to his eyes. “—never mind. Get some sleep, okay?”

He left, turning the light out on his way out the door. I heaved a sigh, rolling over in the clean sheets. Sheets that smelled like him. I sunk my nose deeper into the pillows, kind of wishing he’d stayed longer, despite how tired I was.

I pushed myself onto my back after a moment, ignoring the scent that called me back so fervently, so viciously it frustrated me to deny myself that simple pleasure of indulging in something that made me feel safe.

Time had returned to his eyes, the way it so often seemed to do. And reality seemed to return to mine.

***

When I woke up the next morning, I had a text from Levi, saying he’d taken Titan with him to the gym and that I should ignore all calls, texts, and e-mails until lunch, and to enjoy my morning, yada yada. For once, I did as he told me and made my way to the studio.

Sasha and Connie were there when I walked in.

“Hey, stranger,” Sasha said with a smile. “How’s it going?”

“Hanging in there,” I said with a shrug, plopping down on the ground in the corner to stretch. “Work’s a bitch, but I really like it.”

Sasha laughed. “Like work, or the man you work for?”

“Excuse me?” I smiled in disbelief as Connie cackled. “What is that suppose to mean?”

“Uh, he’s a hot piece of ass,” Sasha stated the obvious. “Do you ever get to see him shirtless? That’d be enough to keep me around no matter what. I mean, just imagine…sweat dripping down those muscles—“

“Sasha,” I interrupted, smirking. “Contain it.”

It was then that Thomas Wagner walked in. Thomas Wagner often travelled between LA and New York City, so we didn’t see him as often as we use to, but when he was around, he was typically my go-to dance partner. We fit well together. Our dancing chemistry was impeccable, the result of years and years of dancing together. And even after months of not seeing him, Thomas and I always danced perfectly together.

Truth be told, there might have been a short period of time in my life where I had a tiny crush on Thomas. But Thomas was straight, and if that weren’t torture enough, he also had some very obvious feelings for Petra. It had never been said out loud as far as I was concerned, but it was always pretty painfully _there_. The way he flirted with Petra, blushed every time she came into a room, talked about her all of the time. You could’ve cut the romantic tension with a knife.

But these days, Thomas was nothing more to me than just a simple dance partner, and a friend. After six months of not seeing him, and after all of the emotional stunting I went through with Jean, I didn’t exactly feel safe having feelings for anyone, even if Thomas was the nicest guy in the world, donated money to orphanages and volunteered at the homeless shelter whenever he could.

None of that changed the fact that I no longer felt safe putting a single piece of my heart into the hands of another man.

“Hey!” We all said happily, standing to pull him into a giant group hug.

“Long time no see,” Connie clapped Thomas on the back. Connie was a good head shorter than Thomas, something we often made fun of him for. But this time, we all managed to keep our comments to ourselves.

“I’ll be here for probably a couple of months. I needed to get out of LA for a while. Too many protests going on right now—it’s hard to even drive out there. It’s ridiculous. How have you guys been?”

“Well Eren and Jean broke up, then Jean punched him in the face.” Connie blurted. “That’s the only exciting thing that’s happened.”

Thomas’s eyes widened, snapping over to look at me. I glared at Connie. “He punched you?”

“He also got kicked out of his house, and now he’s working as a manager for that Levi Ackerman guy.”

“Wow, guys,” I smiled dryly. “Anything else you’d like to share with the world?”

“Uhhh,” Sasha pursed her lips in thought. “I think that’s it, actually.”

The topic dropped after that, and luckily, Thomas didn’t ask any questions, and I was grateful. He must’ve gotten the hint that I wasn’t open for conversation or questioning, and I was pretty adamant on keeping my mouth shut about the whole situation. Talking about Jean, Armin, or my parents wasn’t exactly on my long to-do list, or things I particularly enjoyed and went out of my way to do. Sure, it was unhealthy, ignoring that it’d ever happened. Call it a defense mechanism if you want—because that’s probably what it is.

The studio slowly filled with more and more people, excited to see Thomas, Petra in particular. It was never clear whether or not Petra reciprocated Thomas’s feelings, but everyone had a hunch. Thomas and I ended up filming a video of an old routine we had always use to do—way back when he stuck around New York for longer periods of time. It was to a song by Hozier, called _‘Like Real People Do’_ and it’d always been one of my favorite dances, because of its romantic aura.

Despite the both of us being guys, and Thomas being straight, we always continued to be dance partners as though we were lovers. We had a certain chemistry that most people lacked, and we knew each other’s movements well. Don’t get me wrong—I dance with girls, too, for the sake of videos we film and certain dances. But I liked making videos with Thomas. It gave the world new perspective. It showed that, despite gender, sexuality and masculinity be damned, anyone could dance with anyone. Girls with girls, boys with girls, boys with boys. Dancing was dancing, and it didn’t need anything extra to hold it back.

By the time I was finished, it was going on eleven, and even though Levi said I could take my time in returning calls, texts, and e-mails, it didn’t do anything to hinder my pending guilt that I’ve been playing all morning instead of doing my job. But when I looked, I sighed in relief. I had only a couple of calls from numbers I didn’t recognize that I’d call back later, a few spam e-mails that meant nothing, and…strangely enough, a call from Jean.

It made my stomach coil in on itself. I felt like twisting myself into knots as his name flashed on my screen. The name that use to have little hearts and kiss emojis next to it, just for show, as though I were trying to convince myself that we’d actually had a good relationship at one point. The name I use to force myself to smile at whenever my phone would ring.

I left the studio without saying goodbye to anyone, which was unlike me, but I’d hardly noticed my own rudeness. I’d been so inside of my own head, so absorbed in my own addled thoughts. What could Jean possibly want, after a solid two months of zero contact?

I called the two unknown numbers first—one was someone selling something I didn’t want, the other was a wrong number. It must’ve been an unbelievably slow morning—good news for me. It made me feel less guilty.

But then I moved onto Jean’s number, my thumb hovering over his name, which was bright red to indicate that it was a missed call. I wanted to leave it as that—simply a missed call. Jean was probably expecting me to do that, now that I hadn't answered once. But what if it was important? What if it was something about Armin—who I also had gone a whole two months without speaking to? Jean had called for a reason, surely.

I clicked on his name. It rang once. Then twice. After the third ring, I was already considering ending it, but then the ringing stopped and I heard a shuffle on the other end and I audibly gasped. “Hello? Eren?”

I tried to pull myself together, but it took longer than expected. I was sitting in my car, in the middle of the studio parking lot, about to have a fucking meltdown, because, well, _obviously_.

“Jean,” Was what I chose to say, once I’d finally gathered myself enough to find my voice, which had been my most trying task all day. Actually, in all of my two months of working for Levi, which had to be one of the most stressful jobs of all, this topped all of that without question. If I thought I was going to pull my fucking hair out a week ago, I clearly didn’t know what the fuck was coming. “What can I do for you?”

It was disturbing how differently I had to speak to him now. Like he was an acquaintance, or a co-worker. It felt awkward, foreign. I used to blabber on and on to Jean, all kinds of drama, things he probably didn’t want to hear. Things that never mattered, were never important, but I always thought were the end of the world for some reason. But now I was speaking to him just like I spoke to the damn CEO of Snapple—or whoever the hell that guy was. Dismissive, annoyed…tense.

Who was I kidding? It’d been tense between Jean and I for fucking always. We were just better at hiding it back then.

“Hey,” Jean sounded kind of wrecked. It was a tone I’d never heard him use before. It sounded hoarse and strange and weird coming from his lips. I had to wonder if it was even him. “How are you?”

I rose an eyebrow. “I’m fine, Jean. What is it that you need?”

“I know this is sudden, but…I was really wondering if maybe we could meet for lunch. There’s something I’d like to talk to you about.”

“What? No. Jean, are you fucking nuts?”

“Look—all I’m asking for is, like—twenty minutes, tops. We don’t even have to eat. We can just get drinks. I know you love tea, I’ll buy you tea. Just, please, Eren. All I’m asking for is twenty minutes of your time, if that.”

I hesitated. My fingers clenched into my sweatpants, hugging against my slightly sweaty legs uncomfortably, but I hadn’t focused on that until now. Now it was all I wanted to think about. The most distracting that that I could possibly focus on. I cleared my throat. “Fine. But you only get fifteen minutes, and then I have to get back to work. Meet me at Rose cafe, twelve o’clock.”

I hung up. I didn’t have time for protests. He was getting fifteen minutes or nothing at all, and that was that. No eating involved.

***

As I stepped into Rose cafe, which was busy as per usual, just like every time I came here, every nerve inside of me was alight with bad vibes. Nothing about this felt right. But just as I sat down, already thinking of ditching and standing him up, he came strolling in, right on time, which was unlike him. He was typically always late for everything—at least with me.

He looked fucking awful, too. He was wearing his typical preppy clothes—jeans, a button-up, a blue sweater vest. But it all looked wrinkled, messy, strewn as though he’d just thrown it on himself after it’d been on the floor for a week. It wasn’t clean-cut like it usually was. Not to mention, his normally neat and tidy hair looked a bit like a birds nest, and he had a little more than a simple five o’clock shadow going on. He never use to let that happen.

“Wow,” I said dryly, catching his attention. His eyes widened. “Someone did a number on you.”

He sighed, taking a seat in front of me. “Yeah. You.”

I ignored that comment, leaning down deeper in my seat and clearing my throat. “What do you want, Jean?”

Jean raised an eyebrow in surprise, gesturing towards the menu board above the barista’s head. “Don’t you want something—?”

“No.”

“Eren,” His voice was gentle, and it made me suspicious. What the fuck was he up to, to pull a voice like that? “C’mon, just…cooperate, here. Let me get you something.”

I rolled my eyes and waved my hand as the go-ahead. He stood and walked up to the register, where a teenaged girl greeted him politely. I kept my head down, watching my phone hopefully. Dying for an important phone call, an urgent e-mail, anything. Hell, I would’ve taken getting sued over this bullshit. Being dragged out of my day by Jean wasn’t exactly on the agenda.

“Eren?” I looked up, my eyes widening to the size of saucers. In front of me was Erwin and Levi, gazing at me curiously. “What are you doing just sitting here?”

“Shhh!” I hissed, motioning for them to sit down at the two-person table behind me. They did so quickly, clearly sensing my urgency. Levi sat down directly behind me, back towards me, and Erwin in front of him. I cleared my throat and tilted my head back to whisper to Levi, keeping my eyes on Jean, who was still looking at the board. “Jean had something he wanted to tell me. I told him I’d give him fifteen minutes, and that’s it. Just stay where you are—I don’t know what he’s about to tell me.”

Levi sighed. “Eren, are you sure this is a good idea?”

“No, but what choice do I have? He’s clearly had sex with tons of people. What if he has some kind of sexually transmitted disease? That’s something that I kind of would like to know.”

Levi didn’t reply, but I heard him sigh again, and he leaned forward to tell Erwin what was going on. I had been focusing on a painting that I didn’t quite understand in silence for a long moment, before Jean returned, placing what looked like iced tea in front of me.

“So,” I finally said, firmly. “Get on with it. Fifteen minutes only, remember?”

“Right, yeah,” Jean cleared his throat. “So um—I’ve been reading that letter you wrote me, for like, the past two months. And everything you said in that letter, Eren—you were right. I was a jackass to you. I was awful. I can’t stop thinking back and remembering all of the shit I did or said to you. I was mean to you. I made fun of you. I taunted you. Some of the things I said to you, Eren, I—fuck, Eren, I can’t get it out of my head.”

I cleared my throat. I was suddenly uncomfortably aware of Levi and Erwin behind me, both dead silent, listening intently. “Okay. Well…um. It’s over now, so… I mean, if you need your conscious cleared, then I guess I forgive you or whatever—“

“Eren, I want to get back together.”

I laughed, almost a yelp, a disbelieving laugh. Louder than necessary, and painfully awkward. “I said I forgive you, Jean, I never said I forgot what happened between us. That will never happen, rest assured.”

“But—“

“You cheated on me,” I hissed. “For how fucking long, Jean? I want to know how long. I want to know with who—every single person. I want to know in order. I want to know the name of every single fucking person that made me so easily fucking _forgettable_.”

He stared at me. “W-Wait. Seriously?”

I smiled, a smile that I could only imagine was vicious, deadly, horrible in every respect of the word. “Yeah. Dead serious.”

He cleared his throat, looking around uncomfortably. “Okay…anything for you…” I snorted at that. “It started about two years in. The first one was a girl named Katy—I went to college with her. She was…she was _there_ , Eren, and she meant nothing, I swear to God.”

“Uh-huh. Okay. Go on.”

“The next one was a few months later. A guy named Marco—“

“Marco. Marco fucking _Bott?!_ Jesus, Jean, you can’t fuck people we don’t both know, like a normal fucking cheater? I fucking dance with him, you stupid fucking dick.”

“E-Eren, I know, I’m sorry. He was just—he was _different_ —“

“Yes, different, because _that’s_ the word that’s going to win me over here,” I laughed bitterly. “Look—I don’t even want to know how that one happened. Move on, who was the next one?”

“Um—it was a guy named Vic. When I went to visit family in France. I didn’t really know him that well—he was just a family friend or something like that. I swear, Eren, none of these people—“

“Moving on.” You’d think this would be painful to hear. But I was having fun tearing him to pieces, more than anything. That might’ve made me a horrible person—the fact that I wanted to watch him burn himself to the ground like this. To stumble and trip over himself. But what he did to me was much, much worse.

“Armin was next…that went on until—well—“

“That’s not over, is it?”

“Well—not really—“

“Thought so. Continue.”

“There were a few more people at the same time as Armin. One of them I can’t remember, I was drunk…a girl I knew from work.” His eyes looked up to search mine. I’m guessing he didn’t find a single emotion there, by the way he looked back down at his trembling hands. “Armin was an accident. You’d been really distant from me at the time. You kept—I don’t know—refusing me, in the bedroom, and—“

“And that was a fucking _excuse?_ ”

“No, no!” He said immediately. “I don’t have a good excuse for any of this, Eren. I know that, and I’m trying to find help, I really am. Armin was—he was there, and we both felt awful afterwards. He wouldn’t look me in the eye for months. But then…I don’t know. It kept happening. I’m so sorry, Eren. There were more, somewhere in between all of this and I just—I can’t _remember_ —“

Glassy tears swam around in the corners of my eyes, but I wouldn’t let them fall. Not for him. Not anymore. “How was he?”

“W-What?”

_“How. Was. He?”_ I hissed, my crossed arms tightening over my chest. I could vaguely hear Levi shifting around in his seat, and I felt his hand reach around and touch my hip, as though trying to comfort me, so I dropped my hand to my side and let him loosely lock his fingers between mine, because I needed the comfort in that moment, but I’ll be damned if I was about to let him turn around and stop me from hurting myself. I wanted to fucking know. “If he was so good that you clearly kept going back for more, I want to know. Clearly, better than me.”

“No! It’s not that. He was just different—“

“Again, that word isn’t getting you anywhere. Tell me, did you let him talk? Move? Was he allowed to moan? Are you even capable of getting someone to make that sound? Because you sure as hell never managed it with me. Oh, but I get it, he’s _different_.”

“Eren, I love you. I understand now that I’ve treated you poorly over the years, but I want to change, Eren, I really do. I want to change for you—“

I laughed bitterly again, trying my best not to allow attention to get drawn in our direction. “Don’t you get it, you fucking idiot? I have no intention of getting back together with you. Do you have any idea what you’ve done to me? You have _ruined_ me. You’ve ruined me for myself, you’ve ruined me for any other man that may have the fucking balls to try and be with me someday. You have no right to my heart any more, you have no right to my life, you have no right to my body. I can’t believe you even have the audacity to look me in the eyes right now.”

“Eren, please—“

“No,” My voice dripped with venom. A tone I’d never heard on myself—didn’t know I was capable of. “Because of you, I am stained. You’ve tainted me with hands that have been on other people’s bodies, while you lied and told me you loved me with the same mouth that kissed other people’s lips. We’re done here.”

“Eren, wait—no, please, I never lied—“

I stood, my chair screeching back and hitting the back of Levi’s. Before I could stop myself, I grabbed my glass of tea and splashed it into Jean’s face, onto the table, ice falling to the floor and breaking away in chips. He gasped at the coldness of the drink, and people around the cafe finally turned to look at us, mouths dropping open.

“ _Someday_ , Jean Kirstein—someday someone is going to burn you the same way you’ve burned me.”

I stomped out of the cafe, ignoring the stares, ignoring the way my heart shattered all over again, ignoring the heat inside of my abdomen, threatening to force me to my knees and take me for all that I was worth. Most importantly, ignoring the voice calling my name, threatening to envelope me in warmth and safety that I couldn’t bring myself to accept.

I spent some of my car ride to the hospital thinking of strong arms that will inevitably wrap me up later and pull me flush against his strong, warm chest that I may or may not cry into like a little baby.

I spent the other half of my car ride praying I didn’t have an STD.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and if you did, please let me know that you did in the comments! The next chapter is faaarrrrr less heart-wrenching, I promise ;)


	6. The Time Hanji Saw Eren's Dick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Doctor Hanji Zoe.  
> Eren feels insecure.  
> Sweet kisses happen, and Eren gets some big news.

_ Chapter 6 _

To distract myself in the waiting room of the hospital, I responded to some e-mails I’d gotten and called a few people back. People who wanted to feature Levi in their magazine, people who wanted photoshoots, interviews, Ellen wanted him on the show, yada yada. I told them all that I’d get back to them after hearing what Levi had to say in response to all of the attention.

It was Hanji that found me in the waiting room, and let the secretary at the front know that she’d be taking me to an exam room. I noticed the annoyed looks of a few other patients, but I couldn’t bring myself to feel all that bad. Hanji made a comment that I looked awful, that I thoroughly ignored.

“Sometimes I forget you’re a doctor,” I snorted, pulling myself up onto the doctor’s bed. “Uh—Hanji? Doctor Jaeger isn’t here today, is he?”

“He is, actually, but—oh my God! _Jaeger!_ Of course! You’re his son, aren’t you?!”

I sighed. “Please don’t tell him I was here.”

Hanji hesitated for a moment, looking like she wanted to say something else that she thought was exciting, but she held her tongue, opting to nod instead. “Of course. My lips are sealed. I can’t believe I never caught on, though,” She snorted to herself. “So anyways, what’s up? Does Levi know you’re here?”

“Um, I don’t know, probably not,” I shrugged. “I’m here because I need some…tests done, I guess?”

Hanji looked a bit hesitant. “Tests?”

I sighed. “Like…test me for sexual stuff or…whatever.”

“You want me to test you for sexual diseases?!”

“Jesus, Hanji, can you speak a little louder? There’s a man on the third floor in a _coma_ who didn’t quite hear you.”

“Sorry,” She shrugged. “But—why?”

“I found out today that my ex had a pretty…high number of sexual partners other than me. Some people he didn’t even know. I just want to be sure. It made me nervous when he kept naming off all these people and…I don’t know, I just—I’d rather be safe than sorry.”

“Alright, I understand,” Hanji smiled gently. “Let’s get started then.”

Needless to say, it was uncomfortable. She swabbed my mouth for HIV first. She left, then came back twenty minutes later to tell me that I tested negative for HIV, which gave me a small surge of relief, but then I remember all of the other bad shit I could possibly have.

She took a vial of blood next, and I told her basically the whole cafe story while she did so. She gasped and stuttered the whole time. Then she took a urine sample. Then with a lot of discomfort and awkward shifting, I actually let Hanji do a urethral swab test, from the tip of my penis. Hanji managed to stay silent for the entirety of that test, which was unexpected. I was sure she’d make some kind of comment about my dick, but she stayed quiet.

“The rest of the test results don’t come as quick as the HIV test, unfortunately,” Hanji was pulling her gloves off and throwing them into the trash before washing her hands. “It’ll be two weeks. You shouldn’t have to come back in if you don’t want, I can just tell you in private. I mean, I see you just about everyday. Just don’t tell anyone. The hospital prefers we tell people here.”

I nodded. “Okay. Thanks for doing this, Hanji. I’m sure this isn’t what you typically do, being a big surgeon and all. Just—please don’t talk about this ever again. That was insanely uncomfortable.”

Hanji laughed. Somewhere between a giggle and her normal cackle. “I can make no such promise, Eren Jaeger,” She winked. “Hey—you want a lollipop?”

I smiled. “No, thanks. I’ll see you later, Hanji. I should get back to my fascinating life of making phone calls and scheduling photo shoots for Mr. Levi Ackerman, y’know?”

“Hey,” I turned to Hanji before I could leave. She was pulling the uncomfortable paper I’d been sitting on from the bed to replace it with new, sanitary paper. Levi would be proud. She smiled wide at me—a very Hanji-like smile. Like a cheshire cat. “Call Levi and tell him you’re alright? He really cares about you.”

“Don’t worry, I will. I have to call him anyways in regard to the photoshoot. I’ll see you later.”

***

When I got out of the shower later that evening, I found myself standing in front of the full-length mirror, biting down hard on my bottom lip. It felt ridiculous—scrutinizing myself, picking on myself, pointing out my every flaw in order to justify what Jean did. Thinking to myself: _maybe it’s my feminine frame. Maybe my ass? Maybe it’s because I shave my legs—but the hair gets annoying!_

What the hell was wrong with me? It didn’t have anything to do with me. It couldn’t have. Just because I wasn’t muscular or "manly" didn’t mean he had any excuse to cheat on me. Besides, it wasn't like I was _girly_ or anything. Just...boyish. But if that were the problem, he should’ve just broken up with me first if he didn’t find me all that attractive.

A knock on the door interrupted me from my pestering thoughts. I hurried to pull on a t-shirt and pair of boxers before scrambling out of my bedroom and into the living room. I almost tripped on a dog toy trying to answer it, and I hissed out a stream of curse words when I stubbed my toe.

“Mother fucking _dammit!_ ”

“Eren?” I sighed. It was Levi’s voice coming from the other side.

“Yeah—sorry, one second.” I caught my breath before swinging the door open. I forced a smile. “Hey—oh, shit,” I groaned when I saw Titan sitting down politely next to him. “Oh my God. I’m awful. I’m so sorry. He’s my responsibly and I just completely—“

“Eren, it’s okay,” Levi chuckled, leaning down to unhook the leash from Titan’s collar. Titan trotted inside happily, tail wagging, and strolled into the kitchen to find his food. “Don’t worry about it, alright? You know I love Titan, and I don’t mind. You’ve had a rough day—I get it. That’s actually not even really why I’m here. I would’ve kept him for the night, but I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“I’m okay, I promise,” I stepped aside to let Levi inside. “Thanks for checking on me though. That’s really nice of you.”

“It’s no trouble—“

“Oh my God, Levi,” I stopped him, fingers grasping his strong wrist to pull his hand closer to my face. He had dried blood covering his knuckles. It looked like he’d maybe tried to clean it at one point, but had done a poor job of doing so. I ran a gentle finger over the cuts, and he grimaced. “What the hell did you do?”

“Uh…” He cleared his throat uncomfortably. “It was nothing. It was stupid.”

I raised an accusing eyebrow at him. “Levi…I’m not an idiot. Don’t tell me it was nothing. Clearly it was something.” He remained silent, simply staring at me. I tilted my head, urging him to tell me, but still nothing. Nada. Zip. “Alright, then,” I backed away, allowing his hand to drop back down by his side. “Just wait here. I’m gonna go get a first-aid kit. You did a shit job at cleaning it and it needs wrapped. Don’t give me that look—just go sit down.”

I found the first-aid kit in the cupboard below my bathroom sink, under a pile of toilet paper and some extra wash rags. I hadn’t used it since I’d moved in, and I’d really only bought it on impulse. Sort of like a, “maybe I’ll need it” kind of thing. Of course, I never did until now. But it was in these moments that I was glad I was such an impulsive buyer, otherwise I would’ve never been able to fix Levi’s shitty wound cleaning.

He was petting Titan when I came back, leaning back comfortably against the couch cushions. I plopped down next to him with a sigh and swung my leg over his lap comfortably, pulling his hand to place it on my bare thigh for better access. I took a second to peak at his other hand. It was clean—not a single scratch, cut, or drop of blood.

“Did you put lotion on your legs?”

“Are you gonna judge me if I say yes?”

“No. It feels nice. They’re…” He cleared his throat. “They’re nice…nice legs…”

I snorted, eyes glancing up for one quick moment to lock eyes with him before returning to the task in front of me. “Alright, don’t hurt yourself. This may sting a little—it’s just an antiseptic.” He sucked in a deep breath through his nose when I sprayed the medication on his knuckles. I hummed. “That’s what you get for…doing whatever it is that you did. You gonna tell me what it was?”

“Mmm…I don’t know. Probably not.”

“Why not?” Our voices were unbelievably quiet. Granted, it was quiet in my apartment. There was no point in talking loudly, and Levi wasn’t much of a talker in the first place. But I liked his soft voice. I liked how it felt when he practically whispered to me, like sending a shiver up my spine.

He didn’t answer. But I could feel his eyes on my face, watching my concentrated expression as I worked on wrapping his hand up in gauze. I tried to pretend I didn’t notice, but it was nearly impossible. It felt like he was surrounding me, his entire aura holding me in place, wracking my nerves and giving me heart palpitations. I’d gone the past two months ignoring every little feeling, every blush, every butterfly. Talking myself down every time his skin brushed against mine, or our eyes locked in a moment of slipped intimacy that wasn’t meant to happen.

“All done,” I said, raising his now clean and covered knuckles to my lips and pressing a lingering kiss there. I hadn’t meant to do it, really, it was just something I kind of _did_. Like impulse. But then my eyes locked on his and he was biting his lip and I was sure my cheeks were on fire because— _Jesus, why the hell did I just kiss his fucking hand?!_ “Um—“ Was there any chance of recovery? Probably not. I dropped his hand back down onto my lap. “…sorry.”

“Don’t apologize,” There it was—that whisper again. It felt like he was whispering right in my ear. Like we were gradually getting closer and closer with every passing moment, and there was nothing I could do to stop it even if I wanted to. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

It was what he didn’t say that sent my heart into a frenzy—the sentence that wormed its way in between the lines. The little imaginary whisper that said I’d done something very, _very right_.

I stood before anything could get anymore intimate, pushing off of him awkwardly to stand. “Hey—you want a beer or something?”

“Um,” I squeezed my eyes shut as I walked away, my back to him. He sounded so confused. “Yeah, sure.”

I pulled two beers out of the fridge, eyeing the Vodka that sat by itself on the counter and contemplating grabbing that, too, but decided that it was against my better judgement. Drunk wasn’t really what I needed to be right now.

There was an awkward air of silence when I returned, handing him his beer and sitting a little further away from him this time. Still close, but this time I couldn’t feel his body heat lingering on my skin, no matter how badly I wanted to.

“Um, so,” I leaned back against the arm of the couch. “TITLE magazine is wanting to do a shoot with you. And an interview.”

“But TITLE is for boxing.”

“Yeah, I know. I kinda figured you wouldn’t want to. I guess it’s because you started out in boxing, and they just want a story—“

“Eren, what the hell are you doing?” My eyes snapped up to look at him in surprise.

“What? What did I do? Look, if you don’t want to do it, I’ll just call TITLE and tell them—“

“No, Eren, this isn’t about TITLE, or work, or interviews. This is about us.”

I shook my head, sinking lower into the couch. “What about us, Levi?”

“We’ve been dancing around each other for weeks. I know you’ve seen the way I look at you. I see the way you look at me, too. You want this just like I do—I know you do. So I don’t want to talk about work, I don’t want to talk about TITLE, or sponsorships, or fights. I want to talk about us. Where is this going, Eren?”

A fresh batch of tears filled my eyes, causing my vision to blur, and I was grateful for the distraction because it meant I couldn’t see the look he was giving me. It was a confusing mix of tender and sweet and impatient and desperate. I bit down on my lip, the taste of metallic covering my tongue, and I cringed from the unexpected pain. “I-I don’t know…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cause you so much frustration.”

Levi heaved a deep sigh, placing his beer down on the coffee table in front of us. “Maybe I should go. I’m sorry, Eren. You’ve had a long day, and I didn’t mean to make it worse.”

“No, Levi, don’t go,” I gasped, grasping his fingers weakly as I pushed myself up onto my knees and he walked around the couch towards the door. “You’re right—we really do need to talk about it—“

“Eren, no, it was stupid to even bring it up right now. You were a mess earlier today, and it was selfish of me to try and push something else on you. Look—take tomorrow off, okay?”

“Levi, _stop!”_ I was surprised when he actually did, hesitating in front of the door, holding onto the door handle as though he were about to make a break for it at any given moment. “I want you around. Why is that so fucking hard to understand? I’m asking you to stay. I wouldn’t ask you to stay if I didn’t mean it.”

“I’m not saying you don’t mean it, Eren, I just—I don’t think you’re ready to be in a relationship yet, and I’m sorry I tried to push it on you. I mean _dammit_ , Eren, you cry every damn day over _something!”_

“Who are you to decide what I’m ready for and what I’m not? And so what if I cry? I’m an emotional person—you should know that by now, it has nothing to do with whether or not I’m ready to be in a relationship!”

“Eren, I said _no_ , end of discussion—“

I pushed myself up off the couch and stomped towards him. “Don’t you dare pull that shit on me! You’re the one who brought it up, we could’ve danced around this for another six months if you were so convinced that I wasn’t ready! Why bring it up in the first place if you thought I was some kind of hot mess that you didn’t want to deal with?”

“Who the hell ever said I didn’t want to deal with you, Eren?”

I barked out a laugh, pacing back and forth between him and the couch, trying to keep my emotions at bay. I kind of wanted to cry again, but then that would’ve proved his point that I continuously cry, and I wasn’t ready to give him that satisfaction. “Well, you took one look at me after you’d suggested we talk about us and then you tried to bolt! I think that speaks for itself, don’t you think?”

“Eren— _Jesus Christ_ —you could be a hot mess, an ugly mess, a dramatic mess, a fucking piece of shit mess, and I would still want to deal with you. Right now, you’re none of those things—you’re just a bratty mess. If I didn’t want to deal with you, would I have given you this job? Would I have bought you a car, a phone, given you money for groceries—“

Tears fell against my will. “I didn’t ask for _any_ of those things! Don’t throw that at me!”

“I’m not throwing anything at you, Eren, let me finish,” I huffed in response. “I want to deal with you, brat. Every day, every second, every hour, I’d deal with you. I’d deal with every pointless tear, every problem that’s not really a problem, every ex-boyfriend you’ve ever had. That’s why I beat that asshole’s face in earlier, Eren, I couldn’t even stand to look at him, because he didn’t treat you right, and I _want_ to treat you right, and it’s fucking _killing me_ —“

“Wait,” I whimpered out, my arms falling limply at my sides. I tilted my head to the side and he snapped his mouth shut. He hadn’t realized what he’d said until it was too late—but I’d heard it already, and there was no going back now. “Wait, you…you did what? You beat up Jean?”

A moment of silence. He cleared his throat, avoiding my gaze. “I’m sorry. I know you can take care of yourself, but…”

I walked the short distance towards him with shaky legs, my heart beating so profusely and aggressively that I thought it was going to give out right there in my chest. For the past two months, he’d felt distant. Like he was so close, yet so far away. Unreachable, but touchable. With me in the physical, but his mind was elsewhere whenever he looked into my eyes. But in that moment, it was like all of that was caving in on us. Finally, he locked eyes with me, and it wasn’t hollow. It wasn’t cold, or secluded.

It looked like warmth, and I wanted to bury myself in it.

“Eren?” The way he said my name, when I nuzzled against his nose with mine. Like it rolled off of his tongue so easily, dripping like warm honey that I was dying for a taste of. In all of ten minutes, my two months of hard work—work that involved keeping Levi out of my thoughts on late evenings, avoiding his gaze in the fear that I’d blush, trying not to beg him to touch me whenever our hands so much as brushed against one another, trying not to cry in frustration whenever we slipped up and shared small, intimate moments.

I pressed my lips to his before I could stop myself, my arms wrapping around his neck to keep him in place, my smaller frame pressed against his larger one in the desperation to just _touch him_. His arms circled my waist, and it felt nothing like kissing Jean. It was unexpectedly gentle, but his lips felt like fire against mine, the taste of beer on his gentle tongue. I craved more with Levi with every second that passed us by. There was no awkward fumbling or noses bumping or wishing it would end. It was smooth and warm and everything it was suppose to be.

I gasped when I felt his hands grab the bend of my knees and lift me in one strong motion, and my ankles crossed behind his back as he carried me back towards the couch. I giggled when I felt his cold fingers climb up the length of my back, underneath my t-shirt, his fingers tracing unknown patterns across my skin.

He hummed amusedly in response, dropping me down onto the couch and hovering above me, his large hand rubbing the outside of my thigh as he nibbled and sucked on various parts of my neck. I pushed my hands underneath his shirt, fingernails scraping gently over his smooth back, lightly tickling and forcing him to bow his back inwards, growling.

“Brat.”

I giggled and breathed an unapologetic, “Sorry.” He continued with teasing bites and kisses along my jawline, slow and longing, taking his time in finding every possible sweet spot and weakness of mine. I let out a whine when he sucked on my collarbone. “Love the way you touch me.”

“You deserve to be touched like this,” His voice was hoarse, suddenly lust-filled and hungry, but honest as ever. “You deserve _everything.”_

“Hah,” I locked my legs around his waist, pulling him closer. “Keep talking to me—“

“ _EREN—!_ “

“Fuck, shit—“ I shoved Levi off of me, both of our heads poking up over the couch to see who’d just barged into my apartment uninvited, without knocking. “What the _fuck_ do you guys want?!”

“OH! Oh, my God…sorry,” Petra cleared her throat, glancing nervously at Sasha. “Were we interrupting…something…?”

I sighed as I stood from the couch, walking towards the door to greet them in annoyance and hold the door open for them. “No. Come on in, since you clearly are going to anyways.”

Sasha whispered a pained, “sorry!” as she stepped inside with small steps, peeking excitedly over Petra’s shoulder to get a look at Levi, who was picking himself up and straightening his clothes quietly.

Levi stepped up next to me, placing his hand on the small of my back. “Um, Eren, I think I’ll go—“

“No,” I said, maybe a little too quickly. “You can stay.”

“Well maybe it’s best,” Petra said awkwardly. “It’s just—we have something really important to tell you, and…sorry…”

I glared at her before sighing yet again in annoyance. “Okay then. Levi, I’ll walk you out…” I followed him out into the hall, closing the door behind me and groaning, the back of my head hitting the door behind me. “I’m so sorry. That was so fucking awkward. I can’t believe they just barged in like— _mmph!”_ I giggled into the unexpected kiss, standing up on my tip-toes and wrapping my arms around his neck.

He pulled away with a hum, pressing his forehead to mine. “Don’t worry about it, brat. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I pressed a hesitant little kiss to his cheek before stepping away, in the fear that temptation would cause us to strip naked right here in the hallway of my apartment building, which would probably get me kicked out.

“Okay then,” I cleared my throat. “Bye.”

“See ya, brat.”

I stepped back into my apartment, and immediately, Sasha was on top of me, squealing so loudly it could rival a dying seagull. She was yelling something, but it was so high-pitched I could hardly understand her.

“Okay, Sasha,” I pushed her off of me. “Only dogs can hear you now.”

She breathed out heavily, her hands flying up to her scalp to pull aggressively at her own hair. “I’m sorry I’m just so excited! There’s _soooo_ much happening right now!”

“Okay, breathe, and don’t pull your hair out. Everyone sit down. What’s going on?”

“We could ask you that,” Petra laughed. “You and hottie with a body? When did that happen?”

“Uh, ten minutes ago, until you guys interrupted it,” They looked at each other guiltily, but Sasha still couldn’t bring herself to completely wipe the smile off of her face. “What’s so important anyways that you two had to interrupt my opportunity to give some hot piece of ass a blowjob tonight?”

Sasha snorted. “Yeah right—like it would’ve stopped at a blowjob.”

The truth was—it really _would’ve_ stopped at a blowjob. I still hadn’t been completely cleared on whether or not I had some kind of STD, and there was no way in hell I was going to take any chances and possibly give something to Levi. He didn’t need to be dragged down with me.

“Anyways,” Petra rolled her eyes. “It’s really exciting. I’m sorry we kind of kicked Levi out of your apartment tonight, but I know he’s your boss and I figured he should find out from you, but…” Her eyes glittered with excitement. “Katy Perry is filming a new music video soon, and…well—Eren, they want you to choreograph the dance!”

“Wh— _fuck me in the ass_ , Petra—are you fucking with me right now? Because I swear to God, I will—“

“No, I’m not fucking with you!” Petra squealed. “Sasha got a call earlier, from some guy trying to get your info!”

“Shit. Oh my actual living, breathing God, this isn’t happening to me right now. This is a fucking dream. This is _the_ dream. Oh my God, this is the dream and I’m fucking living it. Someone pinch my nipple and wake me the fuck up.”

Sasha reached forward, and I slapped her hand away. She looked genuinely confused. “But you said to—“

“Sasha,” I said carefully. “How many times have I told you to think about this shit in your head before you do it?”

“Ouch, mean Eren came out to play for a second there,” Sasha whispered, Petra giving her a small, comforting pat on the shoulder.

“I—oh my God, this is incredible…” My knuckles were turning white from clutching the seat cushions of my couch so hard. “I—when? When do they want me to start? Where do I go? Do they want me to travel for it?”

“It’s in California, and it’s in two weeks! Isn’t that amazing?! California!”

“Oh…” My smile faltered. My heart rate lowered. My fingers loosened. The disappointment set in. “Oh, I-I can’t do that…”

Sasha made a face. The exact same face she made two years ago when she started choking on a cheese stick. “What? Why not?!”

“I can’t leave. I’d be in California for—what? A few months? I can’t be away that long. And in two weeks is Levi’s next fight, in Vegas. I can’t miss that.”

“Look…Eren,” Petra placed a hand on my knee, as though trying to comfort me, as if anything could comfort me right now. “You should think about it first. You’ve been working at this your entire life. Dancing is your life. I mean…are you really gonna give that up for a job? A guy?”

I wanted to argue that it wasn’t just a job. Sure, it was stressful, but it wasn’t just any job, it was a job that I was really good at. And it wasn’t just a guy—it was _Levi_. Levi, who’d done so much for me. Who’d been there for me, who’d treated me like I was precious, who was always looking out for me and doing things for me. Levi, who never failed to notice when I needed a nap, because I never did notice. Levi, who always made sure I was eating and getting enough water and showering.

“Um,” I nodded slowly. “Yeah. I think so.”

Sasha and Petra shared a look. “Okay. Well—here’s that guy’s number who called me about it,” Sasha handed me a folded piece of paper she’d dug out from her purse. “You should really think about it, Eren. Sleep on it then give him a call.”

“Uh, Sasha. This is just a gum wrapper.”

“Oh!” She giggled awkwardly. “Sorry. _This_ is the number.”

“Thanks,” I double-checked to make sure it was, in fact, a number. Thankfully, it was. “Listen, I need to get some sleep. It’s been a long day, otherwise I’d let you guys hang out, but—“

“We get it,” Petra smiled understandingly. “You have a lot to think about. Goodnight, Eren.”

“Goodnight, guys.” I closed the door gently behind them and pressed my back against the door, staring down at the number in my hand. Suddenly, it didn’t feel as right as I thought it would. I’d always dreamt of a moment like this. Actually getting to choreograph a dance for someone famous and important was like going to fucking Neverland or something. I couldn’t fully understand why I was questioning this. Why I was even considering _not_ taking the opportunity.

My phone vibrated on the coffee table and I locked the door before going to see who it was texting me at this time of night. It was a message from Levi, and I couldn’t stop the smile on my face.

**Levi Ackerman:** _Goodnight, brat. Sleep in tomorrow._

I hummed happily, biting down on my lip to try and stop myself from smiling at my phone like an idiot.

_He_ was why. He had changed everything. Neverland looked more like a dark hole compared to Levi Ackerman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooo I haven't been 100% sure on how to feel about this chapter. I kinda wrote it half asleep sooooo bare with me :/ Also, thank you all for such lovely feedback on this story, I really hope you like this chapter!!!


	7. The Time Eren Saw Hanji's Ass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi is nervous about rushing Eren into things, but Eren isn't having any of that.  
> Mikasa accidentally reveals a secret she knows about Eren.  
> Six AM is far too early to have to see Hanji's bare ass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is lonnggnjehgekwgkegw ugh ok enjoy i was too tired to properly proof-read sooooo :)

_ Chapter 7 _

“I can’t _believe_ you’re doing this,” Sasha glared at me, as though my decision was effecting her personally. “You’re gonna go watch gross men brawl over a piece of shit trophy or something instead of choreograph a dance for Katy-fucking-Perry.”

I sighed as I wiped off the mirror with Windex. My previous class, a young group of kids, decided to rub their dirty little fingers all over the glass. “It’s not a trophy, it’s a medal,” I paused. “I think, anyway…or maybe it’s a belt? I don’t really know. And don’t give me that look—I just don’t feel like I’m in the best position right now to go off to California.”

Sasha dropped ungracefully out of her Arabesque. “You mean you just don’t wanna stop smooching your boyfriend for five minutes!”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” I said bashfully. “In fact…I kind of feel weird now, like…I don’t know, like—“

Sasha raised an eyebrow. “What?”

I huffed. “It’s been almost two weeks and we haven’t kissed since. What the hell does that mean?”

Sasha looked livid. “He hasn’t even kissed you since and you’re still choosing him over Katy Perry?!”

“I-I’m not staying for him!” It was a lie and we both knew it. One pointed look forced me into being honest. “Not entirely, anyways. I really do like it here in the city, and I love my job.”

“Oh, Eren,” Sasha rolled her eyes, and I followed her into another Arabesque. Ballet had never been my forte, but I was constantly trying to improve at it. It was a beautiful style of dancing that I’d always wished desperately I looked prettier while doing, but I tended to feel like a fish out of water while doing it. “Well if you insist on giving up your entire life for one guy…have you tried talking to him? Arm up a little more, by the way. There you go—that’s pretty.”

“Not really. It doesn’t feel like he’s avoiding me or anything. It just kinda feels like…I don’t know, like it never happened. He won’t even touch me. Do you think I did something wrong?”

“No. I think this is a sign that you need to go choreograph a dance for Katy Pe—“

“Oh drop it, Sasha, it’s not gonna happen! I don’t wanna do it!”

“Don’t wanna do what?” I dropped out of my shitty Arabesque and snapped my head to the sound of Levi’s voice. I had completely forgot that I agreed to let him pick me up and take me to lunch.

“Nothing,” I said quickly. “Um—I’m ready. Let me just grab my stuff.” I turned to grab my shit off the floor, only to glance at Sasha and see her practically snarling at Levi, teeth bared. “Sasha!”

She gave me a long, angered look before stomping off, grumbling under her breath.

Levi frowned. “What’s with her?”

I sighed and shook my head, grabbing my phone and jacket from off the floor in front of the mirror. “Nothing. Don’t worry about—“ I glanced up at his reflection through the mirror just as I straightened up to a standing position, only to find his eyes glued so evidently to my ass, you’d think I had magically grown a tail or something.

I giggled, tilting my head to wait for him to finally look up at me. Another five solid seconds passed before he finally realized I’d stopped moving and talking, and his eyes snapped up to meet mine in the reflection of the mirror, his cheeks beginning to burn. He immediately turned his head away from me and cleared his throat uncomfortably. I smiled and moved in close to him, hugging up against his side and resting my chin on his shoulder. “Kiss me.”

He leaned in, and just when I thought that maybe his lips were going to touch mine, he surpassed my lips by a fucking milestone and pecked my cheek instead before walking out the glass doors of the studio. My jaw dropped, and I tried to ignore the sudden lump in my throat. It felt like I was standing there, dumbstruck, for at least five minutes before I started to feel eyes on me, only to turn and see Thomas watching, one concerned eyebrow raised. “Eren? You okay?”

“Hey, Thomas,” I said, laughing awkwardly. “Yeah, I’m good. You ready for tomorrow?”

“Ready as I can be,” He placed a hand on the small of my back to walk out with me. Levi was waiting by the car, eyeing Thomas, and I tried to resist the urge to roll my eyes. “You’ve worked really hard on this dance. It’s great as always, Eren.”

“Thanks,” I leaned in to hug him. It wasn’t often that I hugged anyone, but Thomas was one of the exceptions amongst my friends. He had always had a comforting aura. Something about being around him always had some kind of magical healing power. “Ugh—I’ve missed you. We all have. Don’t leave us for stupid California again. Everyone over there is just a bunch of Kale-eating freaks.”

He threw his head back in laughter. “I can’t entirely disagree, although not all of them are like that. But I’ve missed you, too. One last dance tomorrow before I hit the road, yeah? We’ll go viral.”

I hummed, smiling. “Half of those views will be Hanji. I guarantee it.”

“Who—? Oh! Yeah, that crazy doctor lady who came in,” He laughed, scratching the back of his neck. “Yeah, she made me uncomfortable.” She’d made everyone uncomfortable, going around to every dancer and offering to pop their back. It was disturbing at the very least.

“Yeah, she does that. Hey—I better get going, Levi’s waiting for me. I’ll see you tomorrow for filming!”

“Bye, Eren!”

Levi opened the door for me when I came bounding up. I mumbled an awkward, “thanks” before he closed the door on me and hurried around to the driver’s side. He looked tense—more so than usual. Levi always had a tendency to look a little bit tense, though, so I tried to ignore it and instead took the time to start responding to e-mails.

After five minutes of silence, I finally cleared my throat. “So hey, um…do you wanna do a photoshoot with FIGHT! magazine after Vegas? They want you on the front page.”

“The one where they always make the fighter look like he has to shit? No thanks.”

“Kinda figured you’d say that.”

I could see, in the corner of my eye, Levi glancing over at me every few seconds as I replied to the magazine people to tell them Levi said no, for probably the fifth time. They asked at least three times a month.

“That sounded bitter,” Levi finally said.

“What sounded bitter?”

“That tone in your voice. What’s up?”

I glared at the hand placed on my knee, peering over the top of my phone to watch as his thumb tried to rub soothing circles on the inside of my thigh. “What are you doing?”

He frowned at the road, taking his hand away cautiously, as though I were going to bite him. I probably looked like I was going to. “I’m trying to ask you what’s wrong. And now I know something is wrong.”

I scoffed at him, smiling in disbelief. “How the hell can you ask me what’s wrong right now? I know you’re not that dense. You haven’t kissed me since that first night in my apartment. And then in the studio, when I asked you to kiss me, you completely fucking—I don’t know— _humiliated me_ and shot me down! You wanted me two weeks ago, what’s going on?”

He took a deep breath in, nostrils flaring, fingers tightening around the leather of his steering wheel. Despite the tense conversation, I noticed how strong he looked in that moment. It was hard not to notice things like that about Levi. It was stunning. “You know I still want you, Eren…”

“Clearly you don’t.” My voice cracked when I spoke to him. I crossed my arms over my chest in a pout, pressing my side against the car door in an attempt to be as far away from him as possible. A lump formed in my throat again. He tried to place his hand on my knee again, and I swatted it away. “Don’t touch me.”

“This is what I’m talking about, Eren,” He sighed heavily, slapping his hand back onto the steering wheel. “I wasn’t trying to avoid you, and you know I absolutely _adore_ you. I’d bend myself in half for you. But I don’t feel like two months is long enough to heal before getting into another relationship. You still cry over something everyday—“

“I already told you,” My voice became embarrassingly high-pitched in the process of trying to hold back my tears. “I c-cry about everything ‘cause I get so frustrated! And you’re not allowed to decide whether or not I’m r-ready for stuff, we talked about this already!”

Levi’s voice softened immediately when tears started falling. “Eren, please don’t cry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. That’s the absolute last thing I ever want to do to you.”

“W-Will you just…” I hiccuped, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand. “…take me back to my car? I’m not hungry anymore.”

“Eren, come on… _please_ talk to me—“

“No!” I snapped. “Because you didn’t wanna talk to me before, so you don’t get to talk to me now. You don’t get to just _decide_ when we talk and when you don’t feel like it. That’s really mean, Levi. You made me wonder for two weeks. You could’ve just told me the truth. I thought I did something wrong. I thought I wasn’t attractive enough anymore or something.”

Maybe I was being unreasonable. Maybe it was just my anger issues talking. I wanted to hear him out. I wanted to hear his side, to try and understand where he got the idea that he had any right to decide whether or not I was ready for a relationship. I understood where the concern came in—he was right, I really did cry about pretty much everything, but I’d been like that since childhood. It’s one of the main reasons my Father took such a serious disliking towards me. Even as a child, my every emotion was passionate and intense, whether it was anger, sadness, happiness, frustration. It drove everyone up a wall. I didn’t want Levi to feel the same.

“Eren, you’re right. I’m sorry. I should’ve been upfront—I should have asked you how you felt two weeks ago. But I’m asking _now._ I need a clear answer on how you feel about me, and what you’re wanting out of this. I need to know if you want a real relationship with me, or if you’re just looking to have fun and fool around for awhile.”

“Levi, no,” I hiccuped, drying my eyes. “I don’t just wanna fool around with you. I thought I’d made that pretty clear. I'm sorry if that's what _you_ want.”

“No, Eren, that's not what I want. Allow me to shed some light on who I am as a person. You can ask anyone. I don’t read signals well. I don’t understand what you want from body language. I’m shit at this sort of thing. So I need real direction. I need solid, verbal confirmation at all times.”

I glared at him, mouth falling open. “Me kissing you wasn’t enough? Crying just now from lack of attention didn’t tell you _anything?_ ”

He didn’t reply. I leaned back into my seat, eyes squeezing shut. Suddenly, for whatever illogical reason, I felt like the biggest dick on the planet. It felt like I was expecting too much, asking too much. He’d already given me everything I needed physically. How could I expect him to be some kind of mind reader? Sure, I wasn’t entirely in the wrong. He really should’ve been upfront with me. But maybe I really was asking too much.

I bit the bullet when he didn’t reply. “I’m sorry.”

“What?” His head snapped towards me. “What are you sorry for?”

“I’m asking too much. I should’ve asked you what was up days ago, then this would all be solved by now. I don’t want you to think any less of me for acting like such a spoiled brat.”

Levi whipped the car to the side of the road into an empty space, slamming on the breaks before he could hit the truck in front of us. “Eren, sweetheart,” My heart jolted at the sweet pet name. I had never been called something so nice in such a sweet voice before. “You’re not acting like a spoiled brat, and you’re not asking too much. It’s not asking too much for me to kiss you, or show I care. I was being a jerk, Eren, and I hurt you. This is on me. I was just so afraid to rush you into something.”

“But you’re not gonna,” I whispered, moving forward to press my forehead to his. “I know what I can handle and what I can’t. You don’t have to worry about that. Just let _me_ worry about _me_.”

“You know I’ll worry about you no matter what, brat.”

I hummed in response, eyes fluttering shut when he pressed little butterfly kisses to my cheeks, nose and chin, teasingly surpassing my mouth. “Hey,” I grumbled. “I’ve went two weeks without your lips on mine. Kiss me, you dick.”

He chuckled before finally pressing his lips to mine, and I melted into it. I moved in closer, as close as the center console of his Jeep would allow and pushed my hands into his hair, running my fingertips across his undercut. His lips danced with mine—slowly, then more dominating, and if my eyes weren’t closed, they’d be rolling into the back of my head just from the feeling of his lips on mine.

I bit down on his lower lip, demanding more. I wanted his touch, his tongue, his skin against mine, hot and intimate and all over me. I wanted his lips to trail sloppy, wet kisses down the length of my neck. Instead of giving into me though, he pulled away, pressing his thumb to the center of my lips. “Down, boy. We’re in public.”

I smiled and pressed a kiss to the tip of his thumb. “You know you want me.”

It was meant to be a joke, and even though my skin was feeling hotter than the pits of Hell, I was still capable of backing off when necessary. But whether Levi understood that I’d been joking or not was unclear, because he growled— _actually growled_ —and I swear to God, I was fully, one-hundred percent capable of an orgasm in that moment had he demanded me to come for him. It was unlike any sound I’d heard him, or anyone else, make before and I was positive that I had died right there in the passenger seat of his Jeep.

His thumb pulled at my lower lip gently. “I’d take you right now if I could.”

I let out a whimper at those words, my head falling down onto his shoulder, and he chuckled. “God, you can’t just _say_ things like that. I had no warning. Don’t say that ever again unless you fully intend on following through.”

“Mm. I’m sorry,” He bent his head down to kiss my neck. “I’ll talk dirty to you later, then. When we’re alone.”

I groaned, throwing myself back into my seat when he leaned away to put the Jeep back into drive and pull out onto the road. “You’re gonna be the death of me, Levi Ackerman.”

***

“That’s a wrap, everyone!” The studio was crowded with just about every dancer who ever came to Sasha’s studio. It’d been so crowded that I was afraid Thomas and I wouldn’t have much room to actually dance, and the cameramen wouldn’t be able to move around, but it ended up working out just fine, and it helped that the dance wasn’t too entirely strenuous, nor did it require an excess amount of space.

I’d chosen the song “2U” by Justin Bieber. I’d never been huge into romantic dances, I’d mostly choreographed dances for women who wanted to dance to sexy songs, such as “Buttons” and “Sex on the Ceiling.” But every so often, I liked to challenge myself, and romantic routines were the best way for me to do so.

“Okay, everyone!” Sasha called to get everyone’s attention. “Both Thomas and Eren are leaving tomorrow,” Everyone let out awe’s and boo’s. “Thomas will be returning to Cali for a few months, and Eren will be going to Las Vegas with Levi for a few days. So as both a farewell party and a _please-don’t-die-in-Vegas_ party, there are cookies, pizza and soda in the back.”

Boo’s and awe’s turned to cheers of delight, and a stampede of people were suddenly fighting their way to the back of the room in search for the pizza and cookies. It was something I’d expect from the younger group—pushing and shoving—but it was mostly grown ass adults shoving the kids out of the way to get there first. It shouldn’t have been funny, but it was.

“Eren!” A voice called through the crowd. I turned, standing on my tip-toes to search through the crowd of sweaty, smelly dancers to find the voice. It was Thomas, waving at me from beside the door of the studio. I had to go through a group of ten year old’s to get to him, which was just as awful as you’d expect it to be.

“Hey,” I smiled. “I think I’m more out of breath from going through those kids than I am from dancing.”

Thomas laughed. “Listen, I just wanted to say goodbye. I’m not staying for food, I still haven’t packed any of my stuff up.”

“Oh, yeah, I should probably get going, too. Hey, thanks for helping me with the choreography for that dance by the way, and for being my partner. You’re a lot better at romantic dances than I am.”

Thomas smiled, and it was in moments where I really looked at him that I remembered why I’d always been so awestruck by him. Thomas really was handsome, and his eyes were kind. That’s probably what made so many people swoon over him. There was nothing particularly special about Thomas, nothing that made him stand apart from the rest of the crowd, except for kind eyes, a soft smile and an even softer heart.

But I was no longer capable of deeper, or more primal feelings towards Thomas. He was still handsome, still kind, still good-hearted. Still Thomas. But he was just that now. He didn’t take my breath away, or practically stop my beating heart with simple touches or glances, nor had he _ever_ had such an effect on me. And since spending time with Levi more often, it became a lot more evident that whatever I’d felt for Thomas way-back-when…it wasn’t what I shared with Levi. It never had been.

“Thomas!” Petra was smiling and waving him over, and I resisted the urge to scream in Thomas’s face _just to kiss her already, dammit_. What I felt for Levi, Thomas had clearly always felt for Petra.

“Go ahead, I’m leaving anyways,” I nudged him in the arm. “I’ll see you in a few months, Thomas.”

“Be safe in Vegas, Eren.”

“You know I will be.”

I made the walk out to my car without saying goodbye to anyone. It was too crowded, too hot and stuffy, and it was really smelling bad in there. There were times when even I needed to get the hell away from the studio—and it was typically always after filming dances.

I made it to Levi’s with minimal traffic, but it still took me five minutes longer than it should’ve. There was always traffic in New York unless you were in the suburbs. Every time I had to sit in traffic, listening to the honking of taxi cabs and angry New Yorker’s, it made me want to move somewhere else. Like maybe Tennessee or something—where I imagine it’s quiet and calm.

It was decided that I’d stay with Levi overnight, since we were leaving in the morning for Vegas anyways, along with Erwin, Hanji and Mikasa. Levi, bless him, had taken it upon himself to take Titan to Connie’s for me, who had agreed to watch him. The original plan was to take Titan to the studio with me, since I had assumed Connie would be there for filming and I could just pass Titan on to Connie before I left, but when he broke the news that he had to stay home and wait for a plumber because his shower wasn’t working, I just about pulled my hair out. Levi had shushed me with a kiss, immediately offering his assistance.

Of course, I’d been thinking about that tiny encounter all day long, and it still sent my heart into overload.

When I walked into Levi’s apartment, the elevator signaling my arrival with a ding, I found Erwin in a sleeping bag on the living room floor, Mikasa and Hanji in their pajamas, and Levi sitting in the armchair looking like he was ready to throw himself off the building at any second.

“Oh, wow,” I chuckled. “Are we having a slumber party?”

“Yeah!” Hanji grinned wide. “Against Levi’s will of course. We’re watching Pretty Woman. Come sit.”

I stepped over Erwin, who lay sprawled out on the ground. “Okay, but fair warning, I may kind of smell.”

“Oh, yeah! How did dance go? When can we watch the video?” Mikasa urged as I plopped down at the end of the couch closest to Levi.

“It should be up at midnight, I think. It shouldn’t take long to edit or anything.” Hanji was already squealing in delight.

I stayed for about twenty minutes of Pretty Woman, only watching until that one really hot piano scene was over before I went to take a shower and change clothes, returning in a pair of clean sweatpants and a t-shirt of Levi’s that I’d borrowed to sleep in only a few weeks prior.

“Hey, Eren,” Mikasa leaned over to peer around Hanji at me as I plopped down on the couch again, running my fingers through wet hair. “Where do you wanna sleep? Me and Hanji were gonna sleep in the spare, but we could always make some arrangements. This couch isn’t comfortable to sleep on—trust me.”

“Oh, um—“

“He could just sleep with Levi,” Hanji suggested with a suggestive wiggle of her eyebrows. “It’s a king sized bed. Levi doesn’t need all of that room for himself. Besides, now Eren is clean so Levi can’t complain.”

“I don’t mind, Eren,” Levi said, once I’d glanced at him in hesitation. Of course Levi didn’t mind. I didn’t either. But no one else in the room knew Levi and I had feelings for each other, and I wasn’t sure how Levi felt about them knowing. I certainly wasn’t about to be the one to give it away and fuck it all up. “You can sleep in my room with me.”

“Okay,” I nodded finally. “Yeah that works.”

It was mostly silent after that, save for the movie. I looked around at the people surrounding me. What would they say if I just went ahead and crawled in Levi’s lap, snuggled close, acted like nothing was different? What would the immediate response be like? What would the response be like ten minutes later, or the next day? Would anyone even question it?

Then, in the silence, Hanji’s voice. “I could probably be a hooker.”

Levi snorted. “Who would buy you?”

“I’d be a male stripper,” Erwin suddenly said from his spot on the floor. It felt so un-Erwin-like. To be sleeping on the floor, for one, and to make that kind of comment, for two. He hadn’t said a word since I’d walked in, until now. “Not a hooker though.”

Mikasa jumped in. “I don’t think I could do it. Depends on how desperate I am, I guess. What about you, Eren?”

“You all know I already stripped,” I shrugged. “It’s pretty fun, actually. I mean it’s scary at first, but then after a few weeks, getting naked in front of a bunch of gross men gets pretty normal.”

“Wait,” Mikasa leaned forward to raise an eyebrow at me. “You mean, you stripped for men? Not women?”

I couldn’t help but to laugh. “I’m sorry, were you picturing me in a fireman’s uniform, grinding on brides-to-be? Yes, I stripped for men. Lingerie and all.”

“OH MY GOOOD!” Hanji screamed, flailing around in her spot on the couch and nearly punching Mikasa and I in the face. I scowled, shoving her shoulder and scooting as far away from her as possible in the midst of her excitement. “Did you ever give them lap dances?!”

“Um, for a while. Private lap dances, if someone requested me specifically. There was a no-touch rule, but one guy was so drunk he man-handled me, and I never did it again. It was always more frustrating than anything. Almost all of them were like fucking toddlers. They never listened to the rules."

“Did you ever get turned on?”

“Gross, no.”

“Did you ever have sex with any of them?”

“If I didn’t get turned on by them, why would I have sex with any of them?” Hanji opened her mouth to speak again. “And before you ask, no, I never had sex with anyone for money.”

“What about in high school?” Everyone’s head snapped to look towards Mikasa, who slapped her hand over her mouth, eyes wide. I narrowed my eyebrows, trying to take in her question. High school? “I shouldn’t have said that.”

“Mikasa,” I tilted my head. “What about high school?”

“Look, I shouldn’t have asked that…it’s just—I mentioned you to Armin. We got to talking about you. He was just telling me a bit about you—some good memories he had. He just mentioned this stupid thing about something you did in high school.”

Hanji cackled. “Eren, what the hell did you do in high school? Better question: _who?_ Even better question: who _didn’t_ you do?! I need all of the dirty details before I go to sleep tonight or else I’ll never drop this.”

What scared me most was how quiet Levi had been in all of this. Sure, the past was the past, but it was a dirty, gross, dark past that no one really needed to know about, especially not him. It was shameful and ugly and it made me feel like shit to even think about it. What would he say tonight, when we went to sleep? What if he didn’t want me anymore?

“What did he, uh,” I cleared my throat. “What’d he tell you?”

“He said that…” Mikasa looked like she wanted the ground to swallow her whole. She was shrinking so far back into the arm of the couch that I thought she’d bury herself in the cushions. “Hesaidyouhadsexforagrade.”

“OH MY _GOOOD!_ ” By the time Hanji started having another mental breakdown, my head was already reeling, wondering how Armin had ever found out about that. I’d told Armin a lot of things, but had I ever told him that? I had to have…there was no way he could’ve found out on his own. Whatever I thought was going to come out of Mikasa’s mouth, that wasn’t it.

“Okay,” I tried to sound cheerful as I stood up from the couch with a small hop. “This conversation has been lovely, but I’m going to bed before this can get any more embarrassing.”

“Oh, come on,” Hanji’s voice was somewhere between a laugh and a groan—a sound only Hanji could make. “At least tell us if it’s true or not!”

“Nope. Leaving. Goodnight.”

“Hey, while we’re on the topic of what’s been in your ass,” I was already halfway down the hall, and definitely too tired to deal with Hanji’s jokes about my slutty days. “You’re STD free! I got the results back today! You’re welcome!”

“Wow, Hanji,” I came to a stop in front of Levi’s bedroom door. From where I stood, I could see Levi getting up from the armchair to join me. “Has anyone ever told you that you have a special talent for making people feel even more awkward?”

“Actually, yes.”

I threw Levi’s bedroom door open and stepped inside, throwing myself down on the bed dramatically and waited to hear the door close, signaling that Levi had joined me. He’d maintained a thorough and terrifying silence throughout the entire conversation in the living room, and I could only pray he wouldn’t continue to give me any kind of silent treatment. I’d probably have a panic attack if I saw even the slightest bit of odium on his face.

“Please tell me that you were temporarily deaf throughout that conversation.” My voice was muffled by the pillow beneath my face. “I’m fucking mortified. I’m literally ready to throw myself off the building right now. You can’t stop me.”

Levi chuckled, climbing up next to me on the bed. Chuckling was a good sign. “Come on, head up. Can hardly understand you with your face stuffed in a pillow.” I sighed and turned around onto my back, avoiding eye contact. “Now, no one is throwing themselves off a building. Come here.” He leaned his back against the headboard, patting his lap. With a pout from being told that— _no, Eren, you can’t throw yourself off a building_ —I complied anyways, laying my head on his lap.

“Ask me anything,” I said finally. “It’s only fair.”

“Alright,” He agreed, a look of hesitance on his face, like maybe he didn’t want to know, which did nothing to wipe me of my shame. “What subject was it?”

I snorted. “Seriously? That’s what you wanna know?”

“For now, yes.”

“It was Math. I’m not very good at Math anyways, so when I started slacking it dropped me down to a D. Of course, my Dad flipped, and went on some rampage about how I needed to get into the best school so that I could become a surgeon like him—which, honestly, was the last thing on my mind. But he was pressuring me to get a better grade, but by then it was a little too late to fix it the right way, so I just…” I met Levi’s eyes with a sigh. “Okay, it’s wrong. I get it. I was seventeen and stupid, and had I known I’d drop out of college anyways, I would’ve never done it.”

“Was your teacher a guy?” I nodded, once. “How’d you know he wouldn’t freak out on you and tell someone that you were trying to seduce him?”

“I didn’t. I took a chance. Anything else?”

Levi looked down at me, as if in thought, his eyes locking onto mine. I was terribly aware of his fingers running along my scalp, soothing me, tiring me. I could’ve fallen asleep like that, had he not started talking. “No. I don’t care about any of that stuff, Eren. You could’ve fucked hundreds of guys and you’d still be the same to me. You’re still beautiful, reckless, hopelessly emotional Eren.”

“Hey,” I snorted, flicking his arm. He moved us, so that instead we were laying next to each other. “I just feel very deeply, thank you very much.”

“I know you do,” He pressed a light kiss to the tip of my nose. “And I love that about you.”

I hummed happily when he pressed his lips to mine, strong arm wrapping around my waist and pulling me closer. The arm that wasn’t caught underneath me wrapped around his own back, and I gently slid my fingertips up underneath his shirt, his back arching inwards, just as it had two weeks ago. I couldn’t help but to giggle. For Levi, of all people, to be ticklish. It was endearing, somehow.

I let out a little yelp when his hand smacked my ass gently, chuckling. “You little brat.”

“Help me get these off.” I thumbed at my own sweatpants, wiggling around uncomfortably. It’s not easy trying to get pants off when you’re entangled with someone else.

“We have to get up early,” Levi whispered, grasping at my backside and kneading at it softly. “It’s best those stay on.”

“Come on,” I whined softly in his ear, nibbling at the lobe. “I’m not wearing any underwear.”

“Which is exactly why those are staying on. We literally need to be awake in,” He turned to look at his clock. “Six and a half hours.”

I pushed my lips out in a pout. “It’s eleven-thirty already?”

“Yes, it is, and we need to go to sleep.”

“Stop being so responsible—it’s a turn-on. What if I told you I’m wearing lacy panties? Then would you cave?”

Levi snorted, turning around to turn the lamp off, drenching us in darkness. “Probably, but you’re not. You just told me you’re not wearing any underwear.”

In the darkness, I felt him wrap his arm around my waist again, pulling me flush against him. “You don’t know until you see for yourself.”

I laughed when I felt his hand slip into the back of my sweatpants. “I don’t feel any lacy panties. Go to sleep, brat.”

“Remind me again why we’re getting up at six in the morning? You have a fucking private jet, we don’t have a scheduled flight time.”

“Because with Hanji with us, it’ll take four hours just to leave the house. This time, I’m getting a head start. I’d prefer to get there by the late afternoon, versus midnight. Hanji is by far the worst person I’ve ever traveled with.”

I groaned softly, flipping around to my other side and purposely pressing my ass back into Levi’s crotch. “Fine, we’ll sleep like boring people. But don’t be surprised if you wake up and I’m naked—I tend to strip in the middle of the night.”

“Well you’ve had enough practice stripping by now. Not surprised.”

“Hey,” I mumbled grumpily, wiggling my ass, and smirking in success when he let out a little growl. “Don’t be mean.”

***

The alarm went off at six, and I groaned into my pillow. “Too early.”

“Come on,” Levi turned the lamp on and patted my ass. “Get up, sweetheart.”

“Hey,” I opened my eyes and looked down. “I’m still clothed.”

Levi was already up and moving, ruffling through his drawers. “Yeah, you tried taking your pants off around four, but I made you keep them on.”

“Why were you up?”

“You kneed me in the crotch in the process of trying to take your clothes off.”

“I’m so sorry,” I laughed, kicking the sheets off of me and rolling back into the pillows comfortably, ready to fall back asleep at any moment. “Want me to kiss it better?” I felt him climb on top of me, and I rolled onto my back underneath him, delighted to see that he was shirtless. I ran my fingertips up the length of his torso, feeling every dip and ridge of his abs and other defined muscle. “Take your pants off.” I said immediately, biting down onto my lip when he leaned down to press kisses to my neck.

It may have been six am, but it was never too early to have a sexy naked man on top of you.

He didn’t answer, simply continuing his little trail all across my collarbones, up the other side of my neck, my jawline, my cheeks, my chin. But he wasn’t taking his pants off, and I was ready to throw hands.

“Leviii,” I whined. “At least take my pants off.”

He grunted, moving off of me. “Nothing is coming off unless new clothes are going on. Get dressed.”

I groaned. “I know you’re horny. There’s no way you’re not.”

“Eren. Go get ready—I mean it. If we can leave by at least eleven, we’ll be there by about four or five.”

“Okay, I get it,” I huffed, pulling myself out of bed and stomping towards the door. “I’m not sexy enough or whatever—I’ll just go wake everyone else up.”

“Eren—“

I slammed his bedroom door behind me, which was probably enough to wake everyone up all by itself. I practically ran from the door, a pit forming in my stomach. Okay, that was childish. That was _really_ immature. What the actual hell was wrong with me? If anything, all that little comment did was push him further away, make him think I’m crazy and that I’m, again, “not ready” to be a relationship. And hell, maybe he wasn’t wrong. Maybe it was too soon. Maybe I had a lot of healing to do. But I wasn’t about to admit that to him. I wanted to be with Levi, and sure, I had some things to work through with myself, but I didn’t want to work through it alone.

I flicked all of the lights on in the apartment, and Erwin rolled around in his sleeping bag on the living room floor. I knocked on the spare bedroom door, and I heard Mikasa groan and curse at me, to which Hanji laughed. It was definitely too early to listen to Hanji cackle.

“Hey, I’m coming in, I need my clothes.” I called in warning, before shoving the door open and turning the light on. Mikasa had buried herself grumpily beneath the covers, holding onto the barred headboard with both hands, as though someone was going to try and drag her off. Hanji was putting her glasses on and smiling wide at me.

I rifled through the drawers (I had kept a few outfits in the drawers in situations where I stay with Levi overnight) before pulling off my sweatpants and Levi’s t-shirt.

“Eren’s ass!” Hanji cackled, watching intently as I pulled my boxers on, which I’ll admit was uncomfortable. But when didn’t Hanji make people uncomfortable? “Hot damn!”

Mikasa groaned from under the covers. “Hanji. Shut. Up.”

“Eren,” Hanji ignored Mikasa’s undertoned grumbling. “Whoever gets to tap that is lucky as fuuuuck.” I snorted. Levi walked past in that moment, just as I started pulling my skinny jeans on, coming to a halt in the doorway. “See?!” Hanji yelled, gesturing toward’s Levi. “Even Levi stopped to watch. No wonder you were a stripper.”

“Hanji,” Levi tore his gaze away from my torso, narrowing in on Hanji instead. “We’re not gonna sit here all fucking day, understand? I want to get out of here by at least eleven this time. No stalling, we’re not stopping at a restaurant on the way, we’re not gonna land in another fucking state for _a few minutes_ so that you can have McDonalds. We’re gonna get ready, leave the apartment, get on the jet, and make it to Vegas all in one day. Nod once if you understand completely and fully.”

She nodded once, as told, but I'm not sure she heard a word he said. “Sir yes sir!”

“Good. Now get up and get moving. Don’t take an hour and a half in the shower if you’re gonna take one. Where the hell is Mikasa?”

The corner of the covers folded back and Mikasa popped her head out of the bed. Her hair was a wild mess, sticking up in all different directions. “I’m right here.”

“Is Erwin awake?”

Hanji snorted. “What do you think? The dude could probably sleep through an entire war.”

Levi walked away quickly, and I could only assume he was on his way to wake Erwin up. He seemed entirely too tense this morning for someone going to Vegas, and his fight wasn’t until tomorrow, but I tried to understand and put myself in his shoes. If Hanji was as bad as he claimed, then I could only suppose that it was necessary to be wrung so tight. I decided to stay out of his way for the morning.

“Okay, I’m gonna take a shower,” Hanji threw the comforter off of herself, shuffling awkwardly off of the bed, and both Mikasa and I groaned. “What? What’s wrong?”

 _“Oh my God!”_ Mikasa twisted her face in tired disgust. “You didn’t wear pants while we slept in the same bed. Not even underwear. What the fuck, Hanji?!”

“What?” Hanji’s eyes widened in innocence, as though she couldn’t understand why Mikasa was so weirded out by this. “We just saw Eren’s ass.”

“I didn’t have to sleep with _Eren’s bare ass!”_

Hanji shrugged, slipping into the hall to make her way to the bathroom down the hall. Mikasa and I shared a look as I continued to pull the rest of my clothes on and ruffle my fingers through my hair in a poor attempt at fixing it, which was nearly impossible. It looked like a bird could’ve made its nest on top of my head.

 _“Hanji,”_ I heard Levi hiss. “Explain to me why I’m seeing your ass for a third time in my life?!” Mikasa and I looked at each other for a long moment before bursting into laughter, not much unlike Hanji’s usual cackle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BOIIIIIIIII NEXT CHAPTER HAS SOME SMUUTTTTT TTTTJGWKEGKESJGHUIWGBKJSHTUIWWHNKY YOU'RE WELCOME


	8. Eren Speaks Words of Wisdom: "Holy shit balls!"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi's POV.  
> Hanji is the worst travel partner.  
> Levi's literally head-over-heels.  
> Sexy times ensue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhh ha ha ahahahahahah SMUUTTTTLNLRE,NGRELHGLENHJLEHNLER

_Chapter 8_

_Levi’s POV._

I wasn’t fucking lying when I said that Hanji was the single worst person to travel with in possibly the entire Universe. Let me put it this way. On the way out the door, Hanji typically decides that she needs to shit. Which takes a while, if we’re being honest here. Then, when we finally get down to the car I’ve called to drive us, she decides she wants a coffee from the Starbucks down the street. Which makes her have to shit again, because coffee does that to her. Then, when we’re on our way to the airport, she’ll whine and yell about wanting McDonald’s breakfast. An argument I typically win, but not always. Then before we get on the plane, she likes to take pictures. It takes a while.

Oh and then—oh, _then_. We get up in the air. We’re finally moving and grooving. But she decides we need to land in some stupid, pointless fucking state like _Ohio_ or something to see something she’s _always wanted to see_. And if that’s not fucking ridiculous, even for Hanji, then I don’t know what is.

And then, when we finally land, she wants to stop and eat the airport food. Says it gives her the full traveling experience. Fucking disgusting in my opinion, airport food is germ infested, but it at least keeps her full for about an hour, and I typically allow her to stop and get airport food so that we don’t have to stop at a McDonald’s drive-thru again, only for her to lean out the window going, “UUUUMMMMMM” for about five fucking minutes.

Do you have any idea how many five minutes of my life that I’ve lost at McDonald’s drive-thru’s with Hanji? Too many.

And this time around, it was no different. Except no one but me seemed as stressed out about it. I wasn’t sure how they were being so calm. You’d think that by the fifth time Hanji claimed she’d forgotten something before getting on the elevator, people would get annoyed. But no—it seemed that I was the only one. The only one tapping my foot impatiently, the only one that wanted to strangle Hanji right there in the elevator.

And then, there was an issue with the car. Eren had been the one to call for a vehicle, and when we finally got downstairs, we were met with a five-person Cadillac, and I thought Eren was about to have a conniption.

“No, no, no,” Eren’s eyes were the size of saucers as he practically ran towards the small Italian man standing outside of the black Cadillac in a neat suit. “Sir, I ordered a bigger car than this. There are five of us plus you, and six of us can’t fit in this little car.”

“Uh—I am sorry,” His Italian accent was thick. “If you would like, I can go back and get a bigger car, but it would take longer—“

“Fuck!” Eren hissed. “Fuck me!”

“Eren. Eren, it’s okay,” Erwin cleared his throat, pulling Eren to the side. “Someone can just sit on someone’s lap. It’s not a big deal, the airport isn’t far.”

It took some awkward piling in while the driver smashed our suitcases into the small trunk, but somehow managed to make it work after a lot of readjustment. We’d first tried Hanji sitting in Mikasa’s lap, but apparently Hanji’s ass was too bony and it hurt Mikasa’s thighs. So then we tried Mikasa on my lap, but her legs were too long and everything was just awkward. So then we tried Eren in Hanji’s lap, but Eren started complaining about Hanji doing some kind of weird hip thrust, so I shoved her out of the car once Eren had safely made it back to the sidewalk. Then someone suggested that Eren sit in Erwin’s lap, which _wasn’t gonna fucking happen,_ so Eren ended up in my lap before Erwin could even move out of the front seat.

Finally, the car started moving down the street.

“Okay, Hanji,” I said sternly. “Don’t ask to stop, ‘cause we’re not doing it. I don’t care how bad you have to pee or shit, I don’t care if you’re bleeding to death, I don’t care how hungry you are. We are not stopping. We’re getting to the airport, getting on the jet, and we’re going to Vegas. Clear?”

“Crystal,” Hanji winked in my direction, which told me that absolutely nothing was clear inside of her head, and we were in for one hell of a fucking ride. I needed to learn my lesson and stop bringing Hanji along, but with as many injuries as I’d had over the years (and Hanji being my doctor through it all) I wanted her with me. I trusted her most. She knew my physical history like the back of her hand, and as much shit as I gave her, she really was the best doctor I could’ve stumbled upon. Not that she ever needed to hear me say that out loud.

“Sorry I screwed up the car thing,” Eren murmured to me quietly, leaning his back against my chest comfortably. “And I’m sorry for this morning.”

“You don’t have to apologize for that,” I whispered, pressing a soundless, unnoticeable kiss to his ear. I looked around to see what everyone else was doing. Erwin was on the phone, and Hanji and Mikasa were talking about something. “You know I think you’re _so sexy_ , right? This morning had nothing to do with you, I just get overwhelmed when I have to travel.”

He nodded. “I understand.”

“Trust me,” I kept my voice as quiet as possible, my fingertips crawling underneath his t-shirt to feel the soft, tan skin of his hips, where no one could see me touching him, the way I so desperately wanted to touch him. “There will be plenty of time for me to fuck you into the mattress the second my fight is over.”

“What are you whispering about?!” I instinctively elbowed Hanji in the ribs when her voice screeched in my ear, practically destroying my hearing. She cackled, and suddenly I felt terrible for the driver, who was unfamiliar with typical Hanji behavior.

“Jesus, Hanji,” I hissed. “Keep yourself in your own personal bubble. We’ve talked about this.”

“Oh my God— _oh my God!”_ Hanji suddenly screamed, so loudly that I felt Eren wince and even Erwin turned to give her a brief glare. She wasn’t paying attention, too busy twisting herself around awkwardly to reach her cellphone in her back pocket. “I can’t believe I forgot to watch Eren’s video!”

Eren groaned. “You have to watch it with me around?”

Mikasa snickered from the other side of Hanji. “You mean you don’t like watching yourself dance?”

“Not on video I don’t. It’s just so awkward—it’s like listening to yourself talk or sing on video.”

“Well I fucking love it, and I’m gonna watch it,” Hanji mumbled, pulling up all of Eren’s videos on YouTube, from the studio’s YouTube account where everything was posted. There were at least eighty videos under Eren’s name alone on the account, where he was given his own playlist for how many videos he’d choreographed, even if he wasn’t dancing in them. It was the first one, at the very top. The basic description said, _‘Eren Jaeger and Thomas Wagner perform “2U” Choreographed by Eren Jaeger’_ and it already had 250k views in less than twenty-four hours, and counting.

Eren sighed and stared out the window for the duration of the video. It was a fairly short dance, but it was beautiful, just like all of Eren’s dances. He moved beautifully. Sure, I knew jack squat about dancing, but I knew good when I saw it. He was fluid yet sharp, wonderfully emotional the way he tended to be throughout every aspect of his life. His every thought and feeling seemed to thrive in the way he moved his body. He had this beautiful gift of making me feel things I’d never felt before, not only for him, but in general.

The only thing I didn’t like about the dance, which held a more romantic feel, was the fact that _Thomas Wagner_ was dancing with him—acting as the lover. I had never talked to the blonde dork a day in my life, only seen him a few times before, but he and Eren moved perfectly together in every video they did, and I couldn’t deny the burning sensation in the pit of my stomach when they touched. It left my fingers itching to touch him right here in front of everyone, to smash my lips against his, make him feel good the way he’s been wanting me to for the past two days. Claim him, right here and now.

But then of course, that would require me having to deal with screaming from Hanji, questions from Mikasa, and that annoying ass raised, bushy eyebrow from stupid fucking Erwin. I wasn’t ready to deal with that.

And yet, the brat was making me crazy. Turning me into something I’d never been before. Jealous, protective. Like some kind of Alpha wolf, protecting his Omega. Cautious of anyone that made eyes at him. Nostrils flaring when anyone else touched him. My mind on overload at the very thought of Thomas _Fucking_ Wagner touching Eren in a way that only I should be touching him.

Yeah, the brat was turning me into something I had never been before. He’d flipped a switch in me. Made me protective, borderline fucking possessive. I had practically destroyed that asshole Jean’s face once I got my hands on him. Something I would’ve never done before. I wasn’t a fan of beating people up outside of the ring.

It was only when I was finished, knuckles sore and bloody, that I realized I needed to turn it down a notch. Protective was fine. Possessive wasn’t something I wanted to be. I didn’t want to make Eren feel like I was trying to own him. I only ever wanted him to feel loved and taken care of, spoiled rotten even.

When we finally made it to the airport, the driver made his way towards the private jet that had probably been sitting in the same spot all morning. But that’s the good thing about having your own jet—it waits for you. So I couldn’t complain about that. My private pilot Henning, however, had every right to. He glared at me once we’d boarded the plane. “You know I don’t just fly you around, right? I have other people.”

“I know, I’m sorry,” I placed a hand on his shoulder, pulling two-hundred bucks out of my pocket and slapping it into his palm. “Hanji again. I’m sorry, Henning.”

He sighed. “It’s fine. Let’s get going. And Hanji?”

Hanji looked up from her comfy seat on the plane. “Yeah, Henning?”

“We’re not stopping in any other states on the way to Vegas.”

“But, I wanted to see the—“

“No.”

Thankfully, that was the only argument that Hanji had the will to put up today. The door of the plane closed, and I made my way towards the back where Eren was, away from everyone else. He was looking out the window, watching an American Airline Airplane soar upwards into the sky. He smiled softly when I plopped down next to him, a good two rows back from Erwin, and three rows back from Hanji and Mikasa, who were both in the front row, but seated on opposite sides. If I knew Mikasa, she had her headphones in. Erwin would probably fall asleep, and Hanji would more than likely end up in the cockpit to bug Henning. But if we were lucky, she’d fall asleep for the entire flight. I was always hopeful.

Eren hummed when I leaned in to nibble on his ear. “Levi, stop,” He whispered bashfully. “Someone’s gonna see.”

“Mm, no they’re not,” I whispered back, pushing the armrest up from between us so I could pull him closer. “We’re all the way back here.”

He let out a breath that was somewhere between an aggravated huff and a satisfied huff. I was leaning more towards satisfied. “Levi,” He whispered in vain, his fingers wounding in my hair as I continued to suck on a spot behind his ear that was clearly quite sensitive. I checked that piece of knowledge into the back of my brain for a rainy day. “Levi…Levi, at least wait until they’re like—asleep or something.”

“Fine,” I pressed one more lasting kiss to his revealed collarbone before moving away. “Do you want anything? Champagne?” I pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. “Wine?” The other corner. “An orgasm?” He gasped when I pulled his lower lip between my teeth. I couldn’t help but to smirk when I caught his cheeks flushing in what could’ve been arousal, but what also could’ve been embarrassment, but I wouldn’t have been at all surprised if it were both. He was so shy now that I was the one initiating.

He reclaimed his lip harshly, giving me a sinful look that could’ve rivaled a hooker’s. “Levi, unless you want them to catch you balls deep, I suggest you fucking wait.”

I chuckled, tracing the shell of his ear with my lips. “My kitten wants me balls deep, hm?”

He whimpered against his own will, forehead falling onto my shoulder. “For the _love of God_ , please have mercy on me. Why couldn’t you have been like this at six in the morning when I was ready to go?”

I laughed, finally moving away before he busted a nut in his pants. “I’m sorry, baby.”

He scoffed, bumping his shoulder against mine. “Yeah, right. Be a good sugar daddy and go get me some champagne.”

I stood from the large leather chair with a smirk. “Oh, so I’m your sugar daddy now?”

“You won’t even get to be _that_ if I don’t have champagne in front of me within the next three minutes.”

“You’re such a turn-on when you’re mean to me.” I didn’t give him a chance to reply, instead making my way into the back of the plane, where I kept it stocked with wine, champagne, beer, certain foods. I wasn’t technically suppose to be moving around the airplane while we were still ascending, but what Henning didn’t know didn’t hurt him.

I returned moments later, a bottle of champagne and a glass in hand. I glanced up at the other three before I sat. Hanji was nowhere to be seen—likely in the cockpit with Henning already. Erwin was already sleeping, and we still weren’t even above the clouds. Mikasa, as suspected, had her headphones in. Eren gave me a half-smile as I sat down beside him. He’d pulled his shoes off and had his knees pressed up against his chest, a childlike way of sitting that I found to be all too adorable.

I handed him his glass. “Was that less than three minutes?”

Eren giggled. “Yes, it was. Looks like you get to continue being my sugar daddy,” He took a sip of the champagne I poured him, swiping his tongue across his pretty pink lips, and my eyes eagerly followed the movement. “For now.”

I smiled, pressing my thumb to the center of his lips. I traced his top lip, where there should be a cupid’s bow, but Eren didn’t have one. I found it endearing, just like everything else about him. “You have no idea how fucking beautiful you are.”

“Then why don’t you tell me all about it?” He smiled, pressing one gentle kiss to my thumb. “It might get you lucky.”

“Sometimes your eyes look like shipwrecks in a storm,” I blurted, surprising even myself. It was unlike me to throw around compliments, but Eren brought out the best in me. He brought out the kindness, the sweetness, the loving. Something no one else had been capable of. “I love it. And I love this cute button nose—even if it is the result of a nose job. And these lips.” I pressed a short kiss to his top lip. “And your body is so irresistible, Eren.”

He laughed. “You were capable of resisting this morning _and_ last night.”

“Didn’t stop me from thinking about everything I want to do to you.” He hummed, his fingers skimming the buzz of my undercut in response. “And your mind, Eren… _God,_ your mind alone makes me crazy. The way you make me feel things I’ve never felt before. You break my goddamn heart with a single teardrop, brat.”

He giggled, taking another sip of his champagne. “Oh, yeah, you’re definitely getting lucky later.”

Someone cleared their throat and Eren and I jumped away from each other, Eren almost spilling his glass of champagne but saving it before he could spill it all over himself. Erwin was standing over us, arms crossed, eyes tired, but he looked more amused than anything—maybe a hint of confusion, like he couldn’t believe he had missed it before. “I would be very careful that Hanji doesn’t see you. She won’t leave you alone the entire trip. And then neither of you are getting _lucky.”_

He stalked off lazily into the bathroom just behind us, and Eren’s eyes snapped up to meet mine, the size of saucers and completely mortified. “Oh my God. Levi, oh my God, that was so fucking embarrassing. I just had a boner in front of Erwin.”

I snorted. “A boner? I didn’t even touch you.”

“Well…I—um.” His cheeks flushed and he sunk deeper into his leather seat, suddenly very bashful compared to how confident he was only thirty seconds prior. “I really like it when you talk to me like that. It turns me on.”

Erwin’s voice called through the door. “I’m still here. I’m still within close proximity. I can still. hear. everything.”

I sighed. “Sorry, Erwin.”

There was a flush, then the sound of running water, and only moments later Erwin came ducking back through the small door. His eyes still held a hint of amusement and fatigue, but every other facial expression showed annoyance. He simply shook his head before walking away, and I couldn’t help but to chuckle as he grumbled something about never letting Hanji find out.

I cleared my throat, turning back to the lovely face looking back at mine, and leaned in to nibble on his ear. “Now where were we?”

“Huh-uh,” Eren said quickly, elbowing me away. “Not on this plane. Never again. Not until we’re in the safety of complete and utter solitude.”

“Oh, come on, it was just Erwin—“

Eren gave me a sharp look that had me shutting my mouth instantly. “No. No means no, I’m not risking that again. That was so fucking awkward. Do we have to share a hotel room with them?”

“Fortunately, no,” I smiled, using my thumb to pull his bottom lip from between his teeth. He probably didn’t notice—but he had a bad habit of nibbling on the skin of his lip, and whether it should be or not, I found it sexy. “Me and you have our very own hotel room, Hanji and Mikasa have theirs, and Erwin wanted to be by himself because Hanji snores. But I booked us the penthouse suite.”

Eren chuckled. “Oh, so fancy. What’s the occasion?”

“It’s the best room. And if I get to have a romantic weekend with you, I want only the best. Champagne every night,” I pressed a secretive kiss to the corner of his mouth, just as I had earlier. “The bathtub is a jacuzzi tub,” I pressed a kiss to the other corner. “Breakfast in bed after a long night of making love to you.” He let out a shaky breath that I caught with a gentle kiss, holding his chin gently with my thumb and pointer finger. “Sound good?”

He let out a breathy chuckle. “You’re gonna spoil me.”

“I fully intend to. Tomorrow I’ll be out all day though, getting ready for my fight. I’ll have to be up early—“

“Oh, do you want me to come?” He looked up over the leather seats in front of us to see what everyone was doing. Erwin was back in his seat, hopefully sleeping this time around. Mikasa still had headphones. Hanji was still nowhere to be seen.

I chuckled, flicking his nose playfully. “No, sweetheart, you don’t need to be there till the fight starts. All I want you to do is go out and have fun. I’ll leave you my credit card and you can go shopping.”

“Uh,” He snorted, as though that were ridiculous. “That’s a horrible fucking idea.”

“Why?”

“I don’t think you understand. I can do some _serious_ damage with a credit card.”

“And I don’t think _you_ understand,” I smirked, tucking a particularly long strand of hair behind his ear. “That it won’t even make a dent in my account.”

Eren scooted away from me, as though I’d burned him. I couldn’t stop my amusement. He looked almost as mortified now as he did when Erwin caught us sharing one of our little intimate moments. “My Father is a surgeon and even _he_ once cut up all my credit cards.”

“Eren, I’m offering.”

“You’re acting like a serious sugar daddy right now.”

“No, I’m acting like…” I thought for a long moment, biting down on my lip. Okay, so maybe I was a little bit. Or, a lot. But it wasn’t like that, and it didn’t feel like that, at least not to me. My only goal was to make him happy, and if shopping made him happy, then that’s what I wanted to do for him. He was absolutely, downright fucking precious to me. I had never considered anything in my life precious. “Just take my fucking credit card.”

“No. No way. I will ruin your life singlehandedly, in one day if you let me even touch your credit card.”

“No,” I laughed. “I promise, you won’t.”

Eren huffed dramatically. “Look at me.”

“Baby, I am.”

His cheeks flushed. “Yeah… okay, whatever. Look—are you trying to be my sugar daddy or my boyfriend?”

I smiled cheekily. “I want to be your boyfriend, who buys you things.”

“That’s not a thing. Jean never bought me shit.”

“Jean’s a fucking two-timing piece of shit, don’t compare me to that breathing turd. I want to buy my stunning boyfriend a fuck-ton of clothes, and it’s my credit card, so I get to use it however I want. And what I want, is for you to go shopping tomorrow and buy all of fucking Las Vegas. Understood?”

Eren smiled slowly, starting just as the corners of his pretty lips then spreading wide across his cheeks. “I’m your boyfriend? You called me your boyfriend. I didn’t know you were my boyfriend. You never asked.”

“Well,” I cleared my throat. “I’m asking now.”

Eren shook his head no, and my heart sunk. “Don’t ask.”

I sighed, moving away, crestfallen. “What?”

He giggled. “Don’t ask. Tell me. Tell me I’m your boyfriend.”

I felt my heart lift again, and the corner of my lips turned up into a smirk. “You want me to order you? You get off on that or something?”

“Uh-huh,” He said shyly, sinking lower in his leather chair, knees pressed to his chest again. His cheeks were flushed, but other than that, he didn’t look the least bit embarrassed. If anything, he looked like…well, he looked like he wanted nothing more than to be fucked senseless. “Tell me I’m yours.”

I peered over the leather seats. Still no Hanji. Erwin (hopefully) asleep. Mikasa not listening, facing forward. We were safe.

I hauled him up to my level, my hand grabbing ahold of his jawline firmly, but not enough to hurt. My other hand fell to the bend of his knee, and I pulled his leg over my lap in an attempt to get him _closer_ to me, anything to just feel contact, to feel close to him, to feel like it was only us on this airplane. I let out a growl when he whimpered, desperately brushing his lips over mine, but with the hold I had on his jaw, I didn’t let him any closer. _“You’re mine.”_

“Fuck,” He breathed, pressing his hard-on into my leg. He was practically in my lap by now. “Say it again.”

“You’re mine, baby.”

“Yours— _all_ yours,” He whimpered when I went to suck on his neck, his hand crawling up underneath my shirt. “All fucking yours.”

“I’m still awake!” Eren and I jumped apart at the sound of Erwin’s voice a few rows in front of us. “For the love of all that is holy on this earth,” Erwin grumbled. “Save it for when you’re in your fucking penthouse, and _very_ far away from me.”

Eren’s face flushed bright red and he sunk down in his seat, looking like he wanted nothing more than for the plane to crash. I, on the other hand, simply chuckled in response. “Sorry, Erwin.”

***

“Holy cock,” Eren gasped. “Is this it? This is where we’re _staying?”_

Mikasa laughed at Eren’s choice of words, nudging his hip with her own. “Very tasteful, Eren. We’re in the Bellagio and I’m pretty sure every rich snob here just heard you.”

Eren cleared his throat. “Holy cock!” The sound echoed off the hotel lobby walls, and Hanji cackled. Erwin walked away, clearly not happy to be seen with us. Eren simply smiled over at Mikasa, who’s jaw dropped. “Now they definitely have all heard me.”

“Alright, let’s get going before we get kicked out before we can even get checked in,” I mumbled, following Erwin’s lead to the front desk. Check-in was easy enough. Hanji and Mikasa got their keys, Erwin got his, Eren and I got ours. I kept my head down as we walked towards the elevator. Hundreds upon hundreds of people had come from all over the world to watch this fight, and getting attacked by paparazzi and fans wasn’t exactly how I wanted to spend my first evening in Vegas. I much preferred the alternative, which consisted of nothing but sitting in my hotel room with Eren.

Erwin broke off of the elevator first, his room being on the fifteenth floor. Then Hanji and Mikasa, only a few floors above him. I prayed to God I wouldn’t see any of them for the rest of the evening, and that was only if I was lucky. If Erwin had a lick of sense, he wouldn’t come anywhere near the penthouse, Mikasa would likely want to walk the strip, and if the Universe was on my side, Hanji would crash. She usually got tired after flights.

The elevator dinged, and Eren and I entered a small hallway. There were two doors—one to the left, and one to the right. Two penthouse suites, split into sections. Our door was on the left. The second the door opened, Eren said, “Holy shit balls.”

I snorted. “Such a lovely mouth you have.”

“It’s fucking amazing,” Eren cried. It really was gorgeous, completely extravagant, and not at all my taste, but again, it was the best room you could possibly have, and Eren deserved the best. When you get the penthouse suite, the staff treats you like royalty, and I wanted Eren to experience that. I would’ve been perfectly happy in a normal room, and I’m sure Eren would’ve been too, but we were in Vegas, and it didn’t hurt to go all out every once in a while. Eren was out on the terrace before I knew it, looking out at The Fountains of Bellagio, the spurts of water going up and down to the tune of a Frank Sinatra song called ‘The Way You Look Tonight.’ Again, I heard his muffled voice say, “Holy shit balls!”

I shed myself of my jacket, hanging it over the back of a nearby chair and joining him outside to watch the fountain. I pressed up behind him, my chest to his back, my arms slipping around his waist.

“We got here at a really good—o-oh,” He giggled, pressing his ass back against my growing erection. “Someone’s excited.”

I pulled his jacket off, throwing it somewhere to the side. “I’ve been wanting you for more than two months,” I bent my head to suckle gently on his earlobe. “And we’re finally alone.”

His arm came behind his head to wrap around the back of my neck, his head falling back on my shoulder as I pressed sloppy, hot kisses down his throat, nipping gently at the sensitive spots. His voice came out like more of a whisper when he spoke, right in my ear. “What are you gonna do to me now that you have me?”

I started to undo the button of his jeans and unzip, but I didn’t pull them down. “Well first,” I pressed my erection into his ass again, and he gasped. “I want you to tell me a fantasy of yours. A kink you have. I want you to feel as good as possible tonight.”

“U-Um,” His voice cracked, and his hips pressed backwards, pushing his ass further against my crotch. “It’s…embarrassing.”

“Tell me,” I demanded in a low growl, carding my fingers through his bangs and pulling his head back to press kisses across his cheeks and jaw. “Nothing about you is embarrassing.”

“You’ll think I’m weird, I know you will.”

“I’ve seen some fucked up kinks, Eren,” I mused, pushing his jeans down just slightly. “Now tell me.”

Demanding him seemed to work well, because he blurted it out instantly. “Ihaveadaddykink.” Instantly, I paused the swirling of my tongue against the sensitive spot behind his ear for a long moment. “Say something, dammit.”

“How the fuck did I get so lucky with you, hm?” I turned him around quickly, lifting him in one smooth movement and allowing his legs to lock around my waist. He let out a yelp before giggling uncontrollably, only stopping to moan when I bit down on his collarbone.

“You don’t think it’s weird?”

“No, it’s fucking hot,” I dropped him down onto the king-sized bed, crawling in between those gorgeous legs. “Everything about you is hot, baby.”

He flushed, his arms traveling up above his head, lips parting to take deep, aroused breaths. His legs spread further, way more flexibly than I’d ever anticipated, I guessed from all those years of dancing. I certainly wasn’t complaining. “Tell me I’m yours again.”

I chuckled, hovering overtop of him, lips attacking his beautiful neck, my left hand reaching down to grab his ass. “You’re mine, Eren. No one else is allowed to touch you like this.”

“N-No one else,” He agreed, eyes falling shut, head tilting back. “I don’t want anyone but you.”

“Let’s get these clothes off, yeah?” I pulled his shoes and socks off first in a hurry before working on his pants. They came off with limited struggle, a surprise considering how skinny they were (they hugged in _all_ of the right places), then I pulled off his t-shirt. I left his underwear on for the moment, leaning back to admire his body.

And holy fuck, he was stunning. There wasn’t a single word in the English language, or any language for that matter, to describe him. There wasn’t a word I could possibly use that could express the desire I felt for him. He lay there below me, tan skin glowing, squirming around impatiently on the gold comforter, his eyes pleading for me to touch him. And fuck, did I want to touch him. I didn’t hesitate to run a hand down the length of his chest, from his collarbones, down his sternum, his lean stomach, stopping at the band of his underwear. He whimpered, back arching under my gentle touch, fingers grasping at the bedding beneath him.

“Levi,” His small voice whimpered, eyes snapping open to look into mine, something about his expression turning needy and impatient. He looked downright submissive. _“Daddy…”_

I growled, crawling further between his legs, delighted when they wrapped around my waist automatically, pulling me down closer to press against his little body. It was in that moment when I realized just how small he really felt beneath me, wrapping me up in his desperate embrace, thin arms around my frame, sweet little hands running down every muscle within his reach.

I realized he was rutting up against me, his hips thrusting upwards. “Did I say you could dry hump me like that, sweetheart?” He immediately stopped, shaking his head frantically. “Use your words.”

“No, Daddy.”

“Very good,” I suckled gently on a tan collarbone. “You’re being such a good boy.” I lifted myself, despite his protests, from his grasp to pull my shirt and pants off, leaving us both in nothing but our underwear. I pressed my chest against his, my hands rubbing along his sides, pulling a giggle out of him when I’d accidentally tickled him in the ribs. I smiled against his cheek, pressing butterfly kisses to his soft skin. “Ticklish, hm?”

He only nodded in agreement, looking up at me with those needy, desperate eyes, a trace of a soft smile on his lips. He looked so utterly _fuckable_ in that moment. Like I could just slide right into his tight little ass and he wouldn’t even care, and hell if I didn’t want to.

“Daddy,” He said quietly into my ear, fingers playing with my undercut. I practically choked on air when I felt his other hand slip into my boxers, grasping my cock in his palm. “Talk dirty to me.”

“Oh God, baby,” I moaned. “Can’t wait to slide my cock deep inside your perfect little hole. Can’t wait to see how well you take me in. You’re gonna look so good when you’re being fucked properly, Eren. I wanna see the face you make when you come for Daddy.”

“Hah,” His back arched, and I saw his cock twitch inside his boxers. I briefly wondered if he’d be able to come without even being touched—if I could make him come from words alone. I decided to try it out a different day, however, when his little thumb swiped over the head of my cock. “Keep going.”

“Gonna take these off,” I moved away to grasp the band of his boxers, pulling them down his slender legs and throwing them to the side. I ran my palms down his soft, plush thighs, trembling from his arousal. His hand continued to work desperately inside my boxers despite the awkward angle his arm was at now, and the fact that I’d pushed his legs all the way back against his chest, revealing his ass.

“I wanna see you too,” He pouted. “It’s no fair that I’m the only one completely naked.”

I ignored him, pressing my chest against his again, his ankles resting on my shoulders. “I could just slide into your little ass just like this, baby. You’re gonna be so fucking tight around Daddy’s cock.”

His legs shook. “Please.”

I hummed, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. “Please what? Tell me what you want. Use your words.”

He lifted his head to press his lips to mine again desperately, his hands on either side of my face. I hummed, leaning away briefly to push his legs down around my waist instead, before allowing him to attack my lips with his again. “Levi,” He whispered, moving his head down to press kisses against my jawline. “I want you to make love to me.” I grasped at the hair at the nape of his neck, pulling his head back to look at him. His cheeks were flushed, as though he might’ve been afraid of my reaction to those words. “S-Sorry,” He suddenly giggled. “I’ve never said that in my entire life.”

I laughed too, kissing him. “I’m glad you did. I’d be absolutely honored to make love to you.”

“Honored,” He snorted. “Okay, you already get to fuck me, you don’t have to keep sucking up.”

“Hey, look at me,” I demanded, happy when his eyes met mine instantly, wide and surprised at the sudden tone in my voice. “Don’t think I’m sucking up to you, ever. I’m fucking nuts about you. Isn’t it obvious?”

“Mmm,” He smiled, biting down on his bottom lip. “Well, you _are_ between my legs. Clearly, I’ve got something you like.”

I laughed, fingers sliding up his thigh. “They are _incredible_ legs.”

“Take these off already,” He mumbled, reaching between us to thumb at the waistband of my boxers. “I want to see your cock.”

“I think you get turned on when I compliment you,” I accused him with a smirk, watching his sweet little cheeks flush bright red. I couldn’t help but to laugh. “Am I right, baby? Should I do it more often?”

“I don’t know, maybe,” He shrugged, watching as I pushed my thumbs into the waistband and pushed down, growling when my erection finally sprung free from its confinements, and I heard Eren audibly gasp as I threw my boxers to the side. “You’re _huge.”_

“We don’t have to do anything you don’t feel comfortable—“

“Are you joking? Get that inside of me.” We both laughed, and I let out a hiss when he wrapped his fingers around my exposed shaft again. “I knew it had to be big, but…it’s so thick, too,” He whispered, pressing tiny kisses behind my ear. “I can’t wait to feel it.”

“You’re so precious, Eren,” I pushed him up further onto the bed, pressing kisses down his torso. His back arched under my kisses. I grabbed him by the ankles to push his legs back, thighs pressed to his chest. “Tonight’s about you, okay? Let Daddy take care of everything.”

He moaned, tan little fingers pushing into the comfort again and pulling hard. I placed his ankles on my shoulders and leaned forward, licking and sucking on his inner thighs, growling when they fell further apart shakily.

“Get on your stomach for me. I wanna see that pretty little ass of yours.” He complied instantly, pushing his ass up in the air and wiggling it impatiently. I let out a deep breath, my hands grasping his backside, squeezing gently and spreading his cheeks apart. He whimpered, pushing his hips back. “You’re absolutely gorgeous, Eren. I’m so happy you’re letting me have you like this, sweetheart.”

“All for you,” He mumbled quietly. “Only yours.”

I hummed, pressing fluttering kisses to his left asscheek, then his right. “That’s right, baby. Very good.”

“Are you gonna…” His voice suddenly rose an octave, as though he were nervous, and I immediately stopped my actions, pulling back from him. The last thing I wanted was to scare him with anything I may do. “You’re gonna prep me, right?”

“Baby, of course. Come here,” I moved closer again, lifting him so that he was up on his knees, his back to my chest. “Why wouldn’t I? I don’t want to hurt you. I want our first time together to feel good for you. I don’t want you to feel nervous.”

“I’m not nervous about you,” He flushed, his head falling back onto my shoulder, giving me access to his neck. I nibbled on his ear while he spoke. “I was just asking and making sure. Sometimes Jean didn’t and it hurt, and I just…I don’t want to cry during sex, y’know?”

I paused. I was hoping he’d start laughing and tell me he was fucking joking, but that moment never came. His breathing was labored as he shook his ass against my crotch to gain my attention, and we both moaned when my cock pressed up against his hole for a brief moment. “When we get home, I’m beating his ass again.”

Eren moaned. “Fuck, why does that turn me on.”

I laughed hoarsely. “Give me one second, I have to go get the lube and condom.”

He hummed, rolling over onto his back. “Don’t be long.”

Thankfully, I’d kept the small bottle of lube and condoms in the front pocket of my suitcase for easy access, which was probably the greatest idea I’d ever had in my life. I would’ve been pissed if I’d put it in somewhere with my clothes, and having to rifle through my shit to find what we needed.

I returned quickly, practically jumping between Eren’s spread legs and he giggled, raising his legs in the air and placing his ankles on my shoulders. I sighed happily, pausing to admire the sight in front of me. He had this bizarre talent for being both cute and sexy, and just about everything in between. It was practically overwhelming. “What are you staring at?”

I tossed the lube and condoms up towards the headboard, before leaning down to wrap his slim frame in my arms, my lips kissing a teasing trail towards his ear. “I want you to sit on my face.”

He let out a broken moan, one leg wrapping around my waist, his fingers digging into the skin on my back. “I’ll do anything you want, Daddy.”

I flipped us so that he was laying on top of me, straddling my waist. His lips began to attack my neck, almost animalistic. He moved his hips against mine, his teeth nibbling at my collarbone. His cock rubbed against the underside of my own, pulling an unhinged moan from the both of us. His thighs trembled against my hips from the new pleasure.

“Alright, come here,” I grabbed his legs to hike him further up my body, and he complied easily, his entire body flushed red with embarrassment as he got situated above my face. For the first time in my entire life, cleanliness was the very last thing on my mind. My only waking thought was how badly I wanted to pleasure him, to feel him shake and convulse with the intense need to come—to orgasm from the pleasure that only I could give him. There was this part of me in the back of my mind, the usual part of me that wanted to make him beg for it. To tease him until he was just on the edge but could never fully seek his release. And then there was this new part of me—a part only Eren could possibly bring out of me. The part of me that wanted to make him feel loved, and special, and good. To show him that sex can be mind-blowing.

“Oh my God,” He sucked in a harsh breath when my tongue flicked gently at his hole, just to see his reaction. I did it again, longer this time, with more pressure. _“Yesyesyes…”_ I chuckled, wrapping my lips around the pink, puckered hole. His thighs trembled against my cheeks at the sensation. “That feels so good.”

I only hummed against him in response, the vibrations forcing a squeak from between his lips. My tongue worked circles around his hole, before working its way into the tight ring of muscle, and this time it was my turn to moan. The very thought of being buried inside of something so wonderfully tight had my cock twitching against my abdomen.

“Levi— _Daddy_ —I wanna come so bad.”

I give him a few more kitten licks before deciding to show him mercy. Typically, I was all about foreplay. I wanted to spend hours doing nothing but bringing him to the edge, but never allowing him to fall over it, before finally fucking him into the mattress for all that he was worth, until he was exhausted, spent, completely fucked out.

Tonight wasn’t that kind of night.

Tonight, I wanted to make him mine. I wanted to show him how good it could feel, to be filled and pressed into, to have your prostate abused over and over, until you’re coming harder than you probably ever have before. I wanted to show him that _I_ could make him feel that good.

I lifted Eren’s hips from my face and he took the hint, swinging his leg over until he was laying on his back again, and I reached up for the lube and a condom. Eren squirmed against the bed, legs wrapping loosely around my waist, one hand reaching between us to play with my cock. I grunted at the sudden feeling, dropping the condom beside him and pouring a generous amount of lube onto my fingers.

“You okay, baby?” He smiled and nodded, dropping one leg from my waist so that I could reach behind him. “You tell me if you want me to stop. Don’t hesitate to tell me if something doesn’t feel right.”

He rolled his eyes. “Okay, I will, just do it.”

“Did you just roll your eyes at me?”

He let out a labored breath, chest heaving, and I had to stop myself from laughing. It was incredible how quickly a change in my tone could have him acting like some submissive puppy. “I’m sorry. I really am. It was disrespectful, I won’t do it aga— _hah!”_

I pressed one finger inside of him, chuckling. It was tight, _so_ tight. “You’re forgiven.”

“Please please, Daddy, please,” He whimpered. “I—Oh, God.”

“So fuckin’ tight,” I mumbled, allowing him to press his lips against mine. He had loosened up for me nicely within only a few moments, and I guessed it was because he was so relaxed. “You want another?”

He nodded feverishly, his little body curling up when I pressed another one inside of him, curling my fingers gently in search for his prostate. He looked beautiful like this, with his lips parted and his eyes squeezed shut. He let out a yelp when I hit the bundle of nerves I’d been searching for, and the leg that was still around my waist tightened, his back arching off of the bed.

“Another,” He pleaded. “I want another.” My third finger pressed in. It felt snug even with only one finger, and a third felt nearly impossible for about two minutes before he finally started to loosen up, and I was able to work them nicely inside of him. “S’good. I’m ready, Levi, please just…” His back arched up off the bed when I rubbed that precious bundle of nerves inside of him again. “Please get inside of me, I can’t take it anymore. I’ve been waiting for this for _months_ , Levi, please just—“

“Are you sure you don’t want another finger first?” He shook his head furiously, eyes pleading. I pulled my fingers from his ass, grabbing the condom from beside us, tearing it open with my teeth and throwing the wrapper aside. Eren watched me put it on almost curiously, his leg rubbing against mine affectionately. “Tell me if you wanna stop, okay?”

“Levi,” He smiled. “I’ve had a dick inside me before. Not good dick, but still a dick. I’m no virgin.”

“I know, but,” I bent over him, lifting his hips and shoving a pillow beneath his lower back to keep him propped up comfortably. The last thing I wanted was for him to have back pain in Vegas. “I want this to be good for you.”

He hummed, kissing my lips as I lined up at his entrance. “It will be. I know it will.”

I pressed in cautiously, growling at the sensation. He was so tight it shouldn’t have even been legal. Maybe it was just because it was Eren, but I already knew it was the best sex I’d ever have, and I wasn’t even bottomed out yet. “You okay?”

“Keep going,” He whispered. “I can take it.”

I kissed his cheek. “I know you can.” I continued until my hips came in contact with his ass, and I watched his face carefully. He didn’t look like he was in pain—didn’t look entirely comfortable either. “You let me know when you’re ready, baby.”

A couple of seconds passed by, and Eren opened his eyes to look up at me, sucking his bottom lip between his teeth. I couldn’t help but to smile. His eyes looked bright like this, blown with lust and some other emotion I couldn’t decipher, looking like he wanted nothing more than to be eaten alive. The only way I could describe him was raw—pure, unadulterated, raw emotion seeping into the atmosphere, making every passing second that much more intense.

Finally he let out a small whimper, his hands clinging to my arms. “You can move now,” I did so slowly, giving him a moment to adjust to the feeling. He grunted, kicking my thigh with his foot. “Do you always go at the pace of a snail?”

I tilted my head, amused, but not about to show it. Eren liked being bossed around, being put in his place. It turned him on, and I wasn’t about to cower to his usual attitude problems. I didn’t speed up in the slightest. “I’m trying to be a gentleman, there’s no need to be hateful. If you want something, you can ask nicely. Understand?”

His lips parted, eyes fluttering. The change in attitude was instant; drastic. “Yes, Daddy, I understand. Please go faster.”

“Good boy,” This time I did as he asked, pushing one arm beneath his head to prop him up and press my forehead against his, my other arm sliding down his outer thigh, which was hiked up around my waist. “Fuck, you feel so good.”

I pulled his hips up further in search of his prostate, pulling him into the rhythm of my thrusts. His back arched suddenly, eyes squeezing shut, a high-pitched squeak filling the room. His head fell back against my arm. _“Holyfuckholyfuck_ —what the _fuck_ —“

I laughed. “Yeah? Feel good?”

“God, fuck, yes— _YES!_ Right there, oh my God. Oh, Daddy, that feels s-so…” He snapped his head up to look at me, eyes ablaze. “Since when does sex feel l-like this?”

“Since I’m the one fucking you,” I growled, pressing my forehead to his again. “You’re mine, sweetheart. You get to feel like this whenever you want now. You can have anything you want.” He moaned, fingernails pressing into the skin on my back, then dragging. I hissed, but the pain mixed with the amount of pleasure I was feeling, both my own, and the pleasure I was giving Eren, was euphoric.

“Daddy, tell me I’m yours again,” He begged. “Show me who I belong to— _fuck.”_

I grabbed ahold of his arms, pushing them above his head and pressing his wrists into the mattress with one hand, while my other grabbed one to the headboard above us for leverage. I pulled my cock out slowly, almost all the way, before slamming back inside of him and quickening my pace.

_“Ah!_ Oh my—fuck, _yes_ —just like that!”

“This ass is mine, baby,” I whispered, biting down on his neck, maybe harder than necessary. “Mine to pleasure, mine to play with. Wanna bury my cock inside of you every night, sweetheart.”

His eyes rolled back. “K-Keep talking—gonna come—“

“You taste so fucking good, too,” I continued, determined to help him meet his release, unlike all of the other assholes he’d been with before. The men who didn’t care about anyone but themselves. “Want Daddy to eat you out when we’re done? Clean you up?”

“I—c-coming. _I’m coming_ —fuck—!” His sudden orgasm forced him to tighten around my cock, and I was seeing white as my own release hit me like a fucking truck coming out of nowhere. My fingers tightened around his wrists, and I could feel his hot come hit both of our chests, smeared between us, his cock rubbing between our torso’s. I could vaguely hear the headboard beating against the wall. _“Fuck,_ DaddyDaddyDaddy…”

“There you go, good boy,” I brought my thrusts to a slow, pressing gentle kisses across his cheeks, nose, lips. “Deep breath.”

He was shaking, practically convulsing, beneath me. “Don’t stop. Please don’t stop,” He whispered. He looked entirely fucked out, eyes closed, head relaxed against the bed, a soft, lazy smile grazing his lips. “Feels nice.” I chuckled and leaned back, placing both hands on the top of the headboard now. My thrusts were slow and easy, giving him the time he needed to come down from his sex high. His eyes fluttered open to look at me, whimpering when his softening cock gave one last twitch of pleasure, and he placed a hand on my come-covered torso, his way of telling me to stop. “Oh my God, you made me come.”

I smiled, leaning down to kiss his chest, down his sternum, before briefly giving my attention to his nipple. “You look very happy.”

He hummed, and there went that bottom lip again, disappearing between his teeth. “I am very happy. And now very tired.”

“I’ll get a rag and clean you up and we can go to sleep, okay?” I didn’t give him time to answer. I pulled myself (with slight difficulty) out of bed and made my way towards the bathroom. I pulled the condom off of my cock, before tying it and tossing it in the trash, then finding a washrag on a nearby towel rack, folded into some exotic shape. I wet it down with warm water and returned to the bed, where Eren was splayed out on the bed happily, his little feet rubbing against the soft comforter. I chuckled as I dropped down in front of him again, wiping down his torso. “You’re so cute.”

He hummed, his foot rubbing up the outside of my thigh. “And you’re sexy.”

I worked my way down, wiping down leftover lube from his inner thighs and between his cheeks. “You want me to order room service, or just go to sleep?”

“Let’s go to sleep,” He decided, crawling towards the headboard when I was finished to tuck himself into the sheets. I wiped my own chest and stomach before tossing the rag back into the bathroom and following his lead. He held up the comforter for me as I crawled in beside him, and I held my arm open for him to lean into my embrace, his leg tossing over my side, his head tucked beneath my chin. “Hey, Levi.”

“Yeah, baby?” He reached behind himself to grab my hand that was splayed across his back, pulling it until it was resting on his ass. I raised an eyebrow, but I didn’t ask questions. I simply began rubbing his ass, and he sighed happily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okaay WOW I actually hadn't originally planned for there to be a full fucking sex scene but i meannnnn I couldn't really resist. :) Prepare yourself for at least three chapters of ongoing smut you're welcome goodbye ;))))))


	9. A Nice Way To Wake Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi and Eren get frisky for like, the majority of this chapter.  
> You're welcome.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MOOREEEEE SMUTTTTTTTTT like literally at least 75% of this chapter is smut gnrhgiegnekuhgueogrger forgive me father for i have sinned :/
> 
> my apologies for any grammatical errors or typos!

_Chapter 9_

_Eren’s POV._

I woke up to cold fingers on the back of my thighs, digging and massaging, the contrast of hot kisses making my eyes flutter. The sun was just barely seeping through the crack in the curtains, and I was only vaguely aware of what was happening when I looked up to check the time.

“So early,” I mumbled into my pillow. “Why am I awake at six in the morning?” Levi chuckled, his hot breath fanning over my spread thighs. He was laying between my legs, happily suckling on every inch of skin his mouth could reach.

“Because I woke up, and you looked stunning.” I couldn’t help but to smile, and my thoughts drifted to the night before. Levi and I had made love—passionate, hot, _incredible_ sex. I could feel my entire body flushing with both arousal and embarrassment. “You can go back to sleep if you want, I’m just enjoying myself.”

I giggled. “How long _have_ you been enjoying yourself?”

“Only about ten minutes,” He pressed an open-mouthed kiss to the crease between my asscheek and my thigh, his hands rubbing gently across my hipbones. “I got up at four-thirty and went for a quick run, then came back. I was gonna hop in the shower, but I wanted to see if you wanted to join me.”

A smile stretched slowly across my face. “You want me to shower with you? I might be a little distracting. Aren’t you on a bit of a time crunch?”

“Not particularly,” He nibbled gently on my inner thigh. “Don’t have to leave till noon. I made some arrangements. I didn’t want to leave you so soon.”

I sighed happily when he used his thumbs to spread my cheeks apart, pressing the tiniest, fluttering kiss against my hole. Sighs turned to moans as he started in with his tongue instead, lathing gently at the spot where I needed him most. I pushed up with my hips, fully presenting myself to him, giving myself to him anyway that he wanted me.

He teased, kissing a trail up the length of my spine until he reached my neck, sucking at the nape, and I whimpered, reaching my arm around to grasp his hair. “I like that,” I confessed. “I like that spot…like when you do that…”

“Fuck, baby,” He growled, biting down on that very spot, and it had me fucking _shaking_. “We need to get in the shower before I lose control.”

“I want you to,” I begged desperately, turning around in his arms awkwardly and wrapping my legs around his waist, pulling him so that his body was pressed against mine. I moaned when I realized he was naked just like me, the only thing separating us being the sheet that had somehow wrapped up around my waist in my struggle to face him. “I want you to lose it. Tell me what you’re gonna do to me.”

_“Fuck,”_ Levi hissed, giving into my enticement and dropping his head to growl into my ear. “I’m gonna fuck you on every surface of this penthouse before we go home, Eren. Daddy’s gonna take care of you. On the kitchen table, on the couch, in the bathtub, on the fuckin’ terrace,” I let out a strangled moan when he rutted against me through the sheet between our crotches, his fingers twining into my hair. “God, baby, I can just picture you…bent over the table, or pressed up against the wall while I fuck the sanity out of you.”

_“Levi,”_ I whined, high-pitched and on the verge of sobbing. “Do it _now.”_

Levi growled, deep and low, his teeth biting down on my shoulder, his hips still thrusting against mine. “How many times can you come in one hour?”

“I-I don’t know,” I whimpered, my cheeks flushing. “I’ve never tried it.”

“Well you’re going to,” He commanded. “I’m gonna make you come so many times, sweetheart. With my tongue, my fingers, my cock. Until you’re so spent, so fucked out that you’re begging me to fucking stop, but I won’t. Not until you’re boneless, not until you’re in tears from the amount of pleasure you’re getting.”

“Levi, please, I need you inside of me—“

“No,” He snapped. “You’re gonna come just like this.”

My eyes rolled back, and I worked desperately to meet the roll of his hips to add to the friction to feel more of his cock sending pulses of pleasure through mine. I wanted to see his cock so badly, to hold it in my palm, to feel him drip from the head, all for _me_. But this was a different Levi from the one I’d seen last night. This Levi was relentless, ruthless, fucking _wrecking_ me. And I loved it.

“Daddy, talk to me,” I begged. “Tell me more.”

“My cock is so hard for you, Eren. Just for you, baby. I can’t wait to slide inside of you tonight, take you right against the fuckin’ door. Your pretty legs wrapped around my waist, eyes rolling back while I slam my cock into that pretty, pink hole. You know it throbs for me, baby? I don’t even have to touch it. The second my sweet boy gets horny, that little hole is _begging_ for my cock.”

That was it—that was all it took. My legs shook, back arching off of the bed, breathing erratic. I let out a whine for him, my come splattering inside of the sheet that covered me, and my entire body felt hot and flush with stimulation. Levi grunted, and I snapped my eyes open just in time to watch as he rubbed one out, his hot come hitting my torso. He collapsed on top of me, his face twisted in pleasure, before pushing the sheet down to see my softening cock, covered in my own mess.

I chuckled suddenly, allowing him to press open-mouthed kisses along my slicked lips and sweaty chest. “The maid isn’t going to be happy.”

Levi snorted. “I don’t care. All that matters is if you’re happy.”

“Very,” I whispered, wrapping my leg around his waist to keep him close. “You made me feel so good.”

“C’mon,” He grunted, tapping my leg as a signal to release him. “Let me go get the shower ready.”

I was on the verge of falling back asleep when Levi called my name, and I hopped my way into the bathroom, my jaw dropping. It was beautiful, covered in gold trim, marble, and colorful glass. The sink looked like a sea-glass bowl, and the toilet had one of those things that came up and sprayed your ass for you. It occurred to me that I hadn’t even given a second thought to the rest of the room—had hardly looked when we walked in. I’d went straight to the terrace, then straight to the bed, then straight to sleep. There was no grand tour.

“Holy shit,” I sputtered. “This bathroom is like, the size of my bedroom back home.” He laughed, pushing open the glass shower door. The shower head wasn’t exactly a shower head at all—it was one of those ceiling waterfall showers. Levi pressed a few buttons on the wall and blue LED lights came on—right there on the magical ceiling waterfall. “Oh my God, I need one of these things. What the fuck.”

“It also has like, nine alternating water settings. That’s what I’m told anyways.”

“Wow,” I stepped in front of him, pulling my bottom lip between my teeth and wrapping my arms around his neck. “You should definitely fuck me in here one night, with all the lights off except for those,” I pointed up to the LED lights. “That’d be hot.”

“Well we could try. I’ve never had shower sex, but I’m not sure it’s everything it’s cracked up to be.”

I laughed, pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth. “Baby, we could be in a cardboard box and you’d still turn me on.”

“Hush, and let me bathe you. You’re still covered in my come.” He moved me away, grabbing a rag and some kind of fancy hotel soap. Levi was a very thorough cleaner, not that I ever thought he’d be anything other than. He spent a very long time on my hair—washing and rinsing twice with his shampoo, which I was happy about, because it made me smell more like him.

I smiled cheekily. “Do I get to wash you, too?”

“You can if you’d like, but no funny business, brat. I mean it. I still need to feed you before I go.”

I pouted. “But it’s only like—seven or something. You don’t have to be anywhere till noon, right?”

“Right, but if I know those three, they’ll be here soon, ready to annoy the ever-loving shit out of me. I was lucky to get one romantic night with you, I’m not even sure three is possible with those fuckers around.”

“Awe, baby,” I pressed a kiss to his shoulder, soapy hands gliding across his muscular back. “Every night will be romantic. We’ll just say we’re tired. Or that one of us isn’t feeling well. Or…” I took a deep breath. “We could tell the truth?”

“Not yet,” His voice was apologetic, like he was afraid of hurting my feelings. That was confirmed with his next sentence. “I promise I’m not trying to hide us, I just want us to have a good weekend, and that’s not gonna happen if Hanji us up our asses, asking three million questions.”

“I understand,” I began helping him wash his hair then rinsing, surprised when he tilted his head up from the water to press an unexpected but passionate kiss to my lips. I giggled when he broke away, his fingers finding my hair. “What was that for?”

“For being so fuckin’ amazing, and patient. I appreciate you, Eren.” Tears welled up in my eyes, and sadly, there was no willing them away. For a moment, I thought maybe I could pull it off like it was just water on my face, but Levi knew what it looked like when I was about to cry all too well. “Whoa—sweetheart, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

I sobbed, pressing my face into his chest, cursing myself silently for crying all the time. “I-I’m fine. You’re perfect. F-Fuck you for saying such n-nice things.”

Levi chuckled, lifting my hands to spread tiny kisses across every knuckle, then all the way up the inside of my left arm, along my shoulder and collarbone, up my neck, and kissed any leftover tears on my cheeks before finally pressing his lips to mine, absorbing a shaky breath I’d been letting out in a failed attempt to calm myself. “You deserve to have nice things said to you, brat.”

“I j-just— _I’m sorry_ —“ I sobbed again, allowing him to wrap his arms around my waist in order to keep me steady. He cooed gently in my ear, sweet nothings I’d never heard from anyone before. I waited till I was sane again to speak. “You treat me so w-well,” I sniffled. “I don’t know why you appreciate me, I’m the one who appreciates you. You’ve done so much for me, and you continue to make me feel special every single day. You’re incredible.”

He pressed a lingering kiss to my lips before turning to shut the water off. Already, he was wrapping me up in a fluffy white towel. “I treat you well because it’s how you deserve to be treated. It’s how you should’ve been treated your entire life. Now c’mon, brat. Let’s get some food in your belly.”

I could only giggle when he pulled the towel up to my head to dry my hair, and I probably ended up looking like a wet dog, but he kissed my nose anyways, as though he’d never seen anything more lovely. He continued on drying the rest of my body until we were back in the bedroom, and instead of rifling through my own suitcase, I picked up Levi’s shirt from the night before, pulling it over my head. I didn’t bother with any underwear, the t-shirt covered everything well enough for now.

“Sexy,” Levi commented, pressing a teasing kiss to the nape of my neck. “What do you want for breakfast? We’ll get room service.”

I pulled him back to me before he could get away, my hands gripping the side of his towel to keep him against me. I smiled, pressing multiple small kisses to his lips. “Or, I could have something else for breakfast.”

He smirked. “That’s not food.”

“Oh that’s funny, ‘cause I’m really craving it.” I pressed kisses to his strong neck, where my lips were level with the spot just below his jawline. “Here’s an idea, I can suck you off while you’re on the phone ordering food. It’s a win-win.”

“I’m serious, brat,” He leaned his head down to peck the top of my head before moving away towards the phone. “Tell me what you want to eat. Not just to suck. I’m talking chewing, swallowing, shitting it out later—the whole nine yards.”

I made a face. “It’d be so much sexier if you just told me to drop to my knees. Just get me something sweet, I don’t care what it is.”

Levi snorted, dialing the number on the phone. “You have no idea how much I’d love to see my cock in your mouth, baby, but if I had to guess, there’s gonna be a knock on the door in…” He glanced down at his watch, pressing the hotel telephone to his ear. “Three…two…one—“ Just as assumed, there were three loud knocks on the door, right on time. I squeaked and picked up my underwear off the floor, pulling them off quickly. Levi chuckled, smacking my ass when I ran past to answer the door. “I told you.”

I giggled, hand on the knob, turning to whisper to Levi. “How’d you know?”

“Years of experience.”

I bit down on my lip. “That was kinda hot.”

A series of obnoxious knocks on the door pulled my thoughts from saying fuck it and yanking his towel away, and I had to pull myself together before I pulled the door open.

“Finally,” Hanji shoved past me. “Are you ordering breakfast? Get me something, too!”

“Do come in,” Levi smiled sarcastically. “You’re _so_ welcomed.”

Mikasa and Erwin followed in behind Hanji, much more politely. Mikasa only smiled before plopping down onto the couch. Hanji was sprawled on the bed, and my cheeks flushed. Her head was right next to the spot I jizzed this morning.

Erwin cleared his throat, leaning down to whisper to me. He seemed to take note of my appearance, flushed cheeks and wearing Levi’s t-shirt. I could only hope no one else noticed that I was wearing Levi’s clothes—especially Hanji. “Where is a safe spot to sit?”

“Anywhere but the bed.”

“Hey,” Levi said, just as Erwin cautiously took a seat next to Mikasa on the couch. “Anyone else want breakfast?”

Everyone called out breakfast orders at once, and Levi winced, raising his middle finger, to which Hanji simply cackled. I took a moment to observe everyone in the room. Erwin looked more amused than anything, eyeing me with a small smirk on his face. It was painfully obvious in that moment. Both Levi and I were still wet from our shower, I was wearing Levi’s shirt, he was still in a towel. I probably had a hickey on my neck somewhere. But neither Hanji or Mikasa seemed to be paying much attention, simply staring off into space or glancing at their phones.

By the time breakfast came, I’d since pulled a pair of sweatpants on and Levi had dressed himself as well, sitting down to speak with Erwin about their events for the day. It mostly consisted of another weigh-in, a few interviews, one of them being for the news, and a press conference. From what I understood, none of those things typically happened on the day of a fight, but they were doing things differently this time. Hyping people for the fight, trying to get more people to buy the fight on TV or something like that. Levi didn’t seem too happy about it.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to be there?” I asked Levi, finishing off a piece of bacon. “I mean, I’m your manager…shouldn’t I be like, managing or something?”

“Eren,” Levi's tone sounded like a warning. “We’ve been over this. You go have fun. You’re in Vegas. Go shopping, just be there for the fight itself.”

Hanji scoffed. “Why can’t I go have fun? Why do I have to be with you guys?”

Erwin laughed, tipping his head back to look at Hanji, who laid on her stomach on Levi and I’s bed, chewing on a piece of sausage like a wild animal. “We’re sorry that our company is so awful.”

“Look, I promise we’re all gonna have fun doing whatever we wanna do when this fight is over,” Levi stood from the couch, grabbing finished plates and stacking them on top of each other. I noticed he typically started cleaning randomly whenever he felt nervous, or stressed. “In the meantime, let’s just get through tonight. We should probably get ready to go, Erwin. With Hanji with us, we’ll have to stop off at every store we pass.”

Hanji jumped off of the bed. “Damn right. I’m gonna have fun today whether you want me to or not.”

“I’m gonna go check out your bathroom,” Mikasa said. “I heard it’s fancy as hell.”

Hanji skipped out of the room, Erwin trailing slowly beside her. “We’ll be waiting by the elevator, Levi!”

Levi looked hot—wearing a black t-shirt, a leather jacket and dark wash jeans. I mean, it was what he always wore for the most part, but he got more and more beautiful to me as the days went by. He cleared his throat, lowering his voice as he came up beside me, slipping something into my hand. “Get whatever you want, baby. I mean it.”

I looked down. A shiny black credit card. “Levi—“

“No buts,” He ordered, a slight growl in his voice that he used cleverly against me. It had me snapping my mouth shut before I could even open it. He was so hot when he used that tone on me. In all of twenty-four hours, he knew exactly how to push my buttons. “I don’t want you using a penny of your money today. Anything you spend today is going to be right back in my account when I win this fight, if that makes you feel any better.”

I sighed. “Fine. I just—I don’t want you to think I’m using you for anything—“

“Eren, I _don’t,”_ He looked around for any prying eyes before leaning in to kiss my lips gently. “Now go have fun. I’ll check in later, okay?”

I nodded, and he moved past me to meet Hanji and Erwin in the hall, squeezing my ass on his way out the door. Hanji was speaking loudly as per usual, and I only knew they were gone when her voice disappeared just as the elevator did. I leaned down to rummage through my suitcase for a different outfit just as I heard the toilet flush in the bathroom, and Mikasa came out looking quite amazed.

“That bathroom,” Mikasa scoffed. “Is bigger than my whole fucking house.”

I laughed, pulling out my jeans and a Rolling Stones shirt. “I know, right? Literally amazing. Did you see the shower head? It’s one of those waterfalls showers, and it was fucking glorious.”

“I used that ass cleaner thing,” She smiled guiltily. “Just for fun. It felt weird but it was kind of enjoyable to be honest.”

We both laughed. I’d never had too much of a chance to bond with Mikasa, but I guess today was my chance to do it. I mean, it was the least I could do, considering I was secretly dating and fucking her brother, and she didn’t have the slightest clue. Maybe if we were on good terms when she found out, she wouldn’t disapprove of Levi’s choice in a boyfriend, or try and scare me every time she saw me.

“Hey,” I bit down on my lip nervously. “Wanna come shopping with me today? I don’t really like going alone. Not as much fun.”

She smiled wide. “Sure! Hey, by the way…” She sat down on the end of the bed, and this time I didn’t cringe. The end of the bed was safe. No come, no sex sweat. The end was clean. “I hope there’s no hard feelings about the other night…y’know, when I kind of outed your big high school secret to everyone. I should’ve never even asked Armin about you. I guess I was just feeling protective. I wanted to make sure you were a good person.”

I laughed awkwardly, running a hand through my hair. “I don’t imagine Armin left a very nice impression about me.”

Mikasa’s eyes widened. “Oh no, he did! I promise he didn’t say anything bad. He was just reminiscing I think. He said you were a good kid, if not a little harsh at times, but he said you were an honest person…in all, Armin is still very fond of you.”

“Right,” I pulled my jeans up my legs with a sigh, careful not to further rip the purposeful holes in the knees. “Still…I don’t know how he found out about that in the first place. I never told him. I never told anyone.”

“He said he saw you,” She explained, her voice softening. “Through the window or something like that. He said he knew it was for the grade, because your math teacher was kinda ugly and you were failing pretty hard in that class. He never said anything ‘cause he didn’t want to embarrass you.”

I nodded slowly, suddenly very conflicted. Suddenly, nothing about Armin felt even remotely familiar. Was he my best friend—covering for me whenever I did something awful, or was he my backstabbing piece-of-shit friend that fucked my boyfriend behind my back? And how thin was that line for him to cross over it? And then, what if it was my fault? Had I been that horrible of a friend to him that he decided to give me one last ‘fuck you’ by fucking my boyfriend?

Either way, there was no use thinking about it now. No use feeling conflicted. That was before, when I thought Armin would’ve never done a thing to hurt me, or betray my trust, no matter how harsh I could be because that was just Armin. Sweet, kind-hearted Armin. But I couldn’t get the new version of Armin out of my head. Whether he cared for me or not was on him. He still stabbed me in the back with a rusty fucking knife.

“Well, let’s get going,” I slipped Levi’s credit card into my back pocket. “I wanna get a new outfit for Levi’s fight tonight. I don’t think I brought anything particularly nice.”

***

Mikasa was actually fun to shop with. We had the same style, I realized. We liked all the same stores, we both made fun of anything mink, and groaned whenever we saw yet another pair of fuck-me-pumps with the red bottoms, all up in the five-hundred dollar price range. It was ridiculous how expensive things got in Vegas, but hey? Vegas could afford expensive with the amount of people they screw over in the casinos. And to the people who did win the lottery, a pair of five-hundred dollar fuck-me-pumps with red bottoms was nothing.

“Wow,” Mikasa snorted as we walked down the street. “You’re a pro at carrying two armfuls of bags.”

I looked down, cheeks turning pink. I wasn’t kidding when I said I had a problem. I’d once put down four thousand dollars in one single day. Not even a full day. It made me feel even worse when I saw that Mikasa only had three bags, and there I was, with at least ten. I could only pray that Levi wouldn’t get angry at me. It wasn’t hard for me to lose control.

“Hey, let’s go in there!” Mikasa pulled me into a lingerie store, and I happily obliged. “I never buy anything in these stores, I just like look— _oh my shit.”_

“What? What is it?”

“Look at the price on this one,” It was a beautiful black lingerie set on a mannequin, littered with pretty diamonds, perfected with frilly lace. “This is insane. How does anyone afford anything from this place?”

I let out a low whistle. “Six-hundred. That’s a lot of money. Would look great with those fuck-me-pumps.”

Mikasa laughed. “They really would.”

We looked around for a few moments before finding the sale rack. Thankfully, there were some really nice lingerie sets for less than one-hundred dollars on sale, and I snagged them before my brain could stop myself. Sure, I had plenty of lingerie from my stripper days, but I wanted some new stuff. And besides, since I was actually getting laid now, why not live a little?

“When are you ever gonna wear that stuff?” Mikasa rose a suspicious yet amused eyebrow once I’d thrown my new lingerie up on the counter for the pretty woman to check me out. She’d given me a weird look, to literally no one’s surprise. But after a moment of consideration, she seemed to accept it. I may be a male, but let’s all be honest, I’m drop-dead-gorgeous for someone with balls, and I pull off lingerie better than most women I know.

“I don’t know,” I lied, shrugging. “Maybe I’ll just wear it around my apartment and pretend I’m a stripper again. Those were the good days, y’know. I was _good_ at my job.”

I walked out of that store with an eleventh bag on my arm, skillfully shooting Levi a quick text.

**Eren:** _Got something I think you’ll like ;)_

It didn’t take long for me to get a reply. I had to swallow my giggle at his response. Mikasa was in the middle of telling some story, and while I felt bad for only partially listening, throwing in a few “uh-huh’s” here and there, I couldn’t help but to text him back equally as fast.

**Levi:** _I want a picture, brat. Or a hint. Need something to be excited about._

I sent back a single-worded response and shoved my phone into my back pocket again.

_Eren:_ _Lace._

“Tell me about your stripping days,” Mikasa asked curiously, interrupting my dirty thoughts about her brother. “I want to know how you got into that. Wasn’t your Dad a surgeon and paid for most of your stuff?”

“Yeah. But this previous time wasn’t the first time he’d cut me off. As you can see, I can go kind of off the rails when it comes to shopping. I tend to overspend, especially when I’m stressed. It was like my own little addiction. Well, to put it in short, he cut me off. He told me I could still live with them, but I had to make my own money. I was in college full-time, and I couldn’t find a job that would support me and allow me to go to school full-time, so stripping was the best thing I could think of. I did it for two years before my parents found out, and my Father immediately gave me all of my credit cards back. Told me he was done cutting me off, just like that. He was terrified that one of his coworkers would walk into the club and see his son dancing on a pole.”

“Well what happened this last time he cut you off?”

“Same thing. Money stuff. And also the fact that I told him I was quitting med school. Only this time, even if he did offer to pay my way through life again, I wouldn’t do it. I’m an adult, and I need to make my own way through life.”

“Did you like stripping?”

“Yeah,” I said honestly, a fond smile spreading across my lips as I reminisced. I remembered working with Krista at the club, too. I was pretty sure she still worked there, mostly as a cage dancer every once in a while. I missed it. “Stripping isn’t ideal. And it’s not suppose to be a long-term job. You can’t be a sixty-year-old stripper, y’know? But it pays the bills while you’re young and sexy if there are no other options, and it’s fun while it lasts. I mean, as long as you don’t mind perverted comments from gross men and possibly having to deal with those grabby clients.”

We were back at the hotel before I knew it to drop our bags off and get ready for Levi’s fight. It was going on five, and the first fight didn’t start till eight, so I had plenty of time to possibly take a bath before getting ready.

The hotel room was clean when I walked in. Clean sheets, no dishes, fresh towels to replace the used ones. Clothes that had once been laying on the floor were folded neatly and laying on top of the bed. I wasn’t sure how I felt about a maid handling my underwear, but it was a nice gesture, and I guess I really couldn’t bitch about much of anything when she was the one who had to deal with come-covered sheets and a used condom in the trash.

The bathtub was huge, taking up at least one-third of the bathroom itself. On the edge of the tub were small bottles of lotion, body wash, bubbles, shampoo and conditioner. There were also little buttons to adjust the jets, and I decided that I kind of never wanted to leave. Hell, New York could kiss my ass.

The bathtub was the most incredible, most luxurious thing I’d ever felt in my entire life. I didn’t know if it was the atmosphere or the bath itself, but it didn’t matter. It was official—I was never going back to New York again if I could help it, and if I had to go back, I would yank this bathtub right out of the floor myself and bring it home with me if I had to, along with that awesome waterfall shower head and its neon lights.

I sent Levi a picture of my soapy legs, making sure they looked as nice as possible before I hit send and impatiently awaited his response. Hopefully he’d open the text away from prying eyes, and by eyes, I’m referring to Hanji.

I giggled before typing a quick message to go along with the picture.

**Eren:** _Wish you were here with me…in between these legs, where you belong…_

The response was immediate. I hadn’t even clicked out of my messages before his reply popped up, and if I didn’t have a boner before (I kind of did, let’s be honest) I definitely had one now.

**Levi:** _Daddy will take care of you tonight. Behave._

I let out a shaky breath, my head falling backwards, and almost dropping my phone in the water in the process of trying to pull myself the fuck together. Someone tell me why it’s so hard not to think of someone’s cock?

**Eren:** _I know you’re hard for me. I know you want to be here with me, sliding in and out of my tight hole. I want you so bad, Daddy. Can I touch myself?_

My fingers were already tracing a line from my sternum down towards my navel as I watched the little ‘typing’ bubble pop up. I was so eager for a response, desperate for his permission, but I wouldn’t allow myself to disobey him.

**Levi:** _No. That’s for me. No touching._

Well this had escalated quickly. Now I was stuck with a painful boner, and not allowed to relieve myself. That’ll teach me to try and seduce him, considering how quickly he’d turned it around and seduced _me_ instead. He’d figured me out all too quickly, and he knew my every single button within such a short amount of time. Why the hell did that turn me on so much?

I shaved every ounce of visible hair I could find on my body in preparation. If I was going to get fucked as good as I knew I would be tonight, I wanted to feel my absolute best. And now it was all I could think about anyways, so may as well prepare myself.

Despite the continuously rising sexual tension I was feeling within myself, I wondered how Levi was doing. He’d seemed tense in the morning once everyone had come in, more so than usual, but I figured it was only because of the fight. No one else seemed the least bit considered, or like they’d ever even noticed, so it must’ve been a usual occurrence before every fight. I mean, who wouldn’t get some nerves before willingly putting their body at risk?

I got out of the bathtub and dried off, pulling on one of my new lingerie sets to wear underneath my normal clothes. It was black, and consisted of lacy panties, a garter belt and stockings. Of course, a bra came with it as well, but since I had no use for a bra, I ended up putting on a long sleeved mesh crop top instead. I pulled on a new pair of loose ripped jeans and my converse as well. With how loose my jeans were around my waist, the garter belt of the lingerie set was visible, and my mesh stockings could be seen through the rips in my jeans. So just for the safety of not getting molested by both closeted, gay married men, and straight men who think I’m a girl with a pixie cut, I pulled on my sleeveless Rolling Stone t-shirt and tied it up high on my waist so that you could still see the garter belt, but not my entire chest.

The knock on the door signaled that Mikasa was here so that we could leave early for the fight and be there for Levi sooner rather than later. Since I was his manager and Mikasa was his sister, we’d be allowed into whatever room he was in to get ready. The fight was being held at a hotel called the Luxor Las Vegas. It’s a black pyramid, named after the ancient Egyptian City, Luxor. From the pictures I’ve seen, it’s beautiful, but despite the protests of many, Levi didn’t want to stay there if he could help it. He said it wasn’t as nice as the Bellagio.

I swung the door open and stepped out with a smile, mouthing a quick ‘hi’ and closing the door behind me. She smiled at me, her eyes gliding up and down to observe my outfit. “So you found a way to wear one of those lingerie sets in public, huh?”

“I did,” I smiled cheekily. “I’m proud of this one.”

The Luxor was only a seven minute drive from the Bellagio. We debated walking, but Mikasa put it into her google maps and we realized it would’ve been a thirty minute walk, and that wasn’t about to happen, so we hailed a taxi.

“Well that was quick,” Mikasa said, just as a cab slammed on their brakes, tires squealing to stop in front of us. She laughed then. “He’s checking you out. That’s why he stopped.”

I snorted. “Whatever gets us a cab.”

By the time we’d made it to the Luxor, it was already pretty packed, and the first fight was still two hours away from starting. Still, it wasn’t as crowded as I knew it was going to be later. We got in quickly enough, and Mikasa and I were handed these VIP lanyards to show that we were with important people and whatnot.

There were posters everywhere of every fighter. The TV’s showed the last minute weigh-ins and press conferences and interviews. Levi and a man by the name of Luke Siss were the main event for the evening, and every single TV began playing a video of Luke Siss, smack talking Levi, as all fighters did.

Well, every fighter except for _Levi._ Levi had never smack-talked another fighter once in his entire career, and it was one of the most endearing things about him. The fact that he didn't feel the need to throw someone to the ground to make himself seem better. He simply _was_ better without having to prove his dominance.

“I’m gonna tear him apart,” Luke Siss’s voice boomed. “I can’t wait to shove him off of that high horse. He won’t be undefeated by the time I’m finished.”

Mikasa and I took one look at each other before we started crying with laughter, shoving through copious amounts of people to get to the room Levi was in. They’d placed him in one of their hotel rooms for the time being, along with Hanji and Erwin. He’d be moved to a different room before the fight starts—most likely a locker room, like the one in New York.

To no one’s surprise, they’d put Levi in a very fancy suite up towards the top floor. I could hear voices inside as we approached, Erwin talking, giving Levi some of the same old tips. The door swung open the second Mikasa knocked, and we were met with Hanji, wide eyes and a manic smile, just as always. Her jaw dropped suddenly, and she scrambled to put her glasses on. I’d never seen her without her glasses on her face, but in that moment, they were instead dangling on her shirt.

“Holy shit!” She yelped. “Eren, you look hot!”

I laughed, pushing her aside gently so that we could come into the room. “Say it a little louder, Hanji, I don’t think the entire hotel has heard you quite yet.”

“We heard Luke Siss talking trash on the TV,” Mikasa said with a smirk, giving her brother a light, playful kick in the back of his leg. He snorted, grabbing ahold of her leg when she did it again, and she bounced awkwardly for a moment before he finally released her ankle. “Said you wouldn’t be undefeated by the time he was finished with you.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard it all day,” Levi’s eyes slid over towards me, and I watched in amusement as his bottom lip disappeared between his teeth, jaw locking hard. He blew out a single, long breath after a moment or two. “He’s full of shit.”

“Is anyone else hungry?” Hanji suddenly whined. “I’m starving.”

“Well I’m not suppose to eat until my fight is over,” Levi said. “I’m also not suppose to leave the room unless I want to get mauled, but you guys can go get something.”

“Thank God,” Hanji groaned, standing up from her chair instantly. “Who’s with me?”

Erwin looked hesitant to stand, as though he were afraid to Levi for even a moment before his fight, but seemed to sigh in personal defeat. Hunger won out. “I’m with you.”

Mikasa shrugged. “Me, too. Eren, are you coming?”

“Oh—no that’s okay. I’m still full from earlier, you guys go ahead. I’ll stay and bug Levi.”

It had been the single most convenient thing to happen all day—for them to leave almost abruptly. Any other time, I may have been suspicious, but the second they were out the door, I couldn’t have possibly given a shit less. I was running across the room towards Levi the second the door clicked shut and he caught me easily, my legs wrapping around his waist.

“I missed you,” I whispered, breathless between every kiss. “I’m so glad they left.”

Levi chuckled. “Baby, you just saw me this morning.”

I pulled away with a pout. “You didn’t miss me?”

He smiled, patting my butt. “Of course I did. You look sexy by the way. Just—please don’t get molested tonight.”

I couldn’t help but to laugh, hiding my face in his neck while he walked us over towards the couch and plopped us down, and I cuddled against his chest, leaning my head to press fluttering kisses to his jawline. “No need to worry. I’ll be okay.”

“So what all did you buy today?”

I blushed, lowering my gaze. “Probably too much…I’m so sorry. Your credit card is back at the hotel, I really tried my best not to go overboard—“

“Hey, brat,” He flicked my nose to gain my attention, and grabbed my chin to force me to look at him. “You’ve gotta stop apologizing. How many times do I have to tell you it’s not a big deal? I love spoiling you. Trust me, this isn’t the last time I’ll be giving you my credit card, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.” He pressed a lingering, soft kiss to my lips that I oh-so-embarrassingly attempted to chase. “I can’t wait to see the stuff you bought.”

“Well,” I smiled cheekily, dragging his hand up my thigh and only stopping when his palm brushed up against my garter belt. “This is one of the things.”

He growled lowly, slipping his fingers into the back of my jeans to feel around. “You’re wearing panties, too. Jesus, you’re gonna be the death of me.”

I hummed happily, dragging my hips forward until my crotch brushed against his. His jaw locked, head falling back against the couch cushions. “There’s much more where this came from. You want that blowjob now?”

“That would be wonderful, baby, but let’s wait until tonight, okay? A blowjob is gonna turn into a lot more if I say yes, and we’re not exactly in a very good position to have sex right now. The last thing I want is for them to walk back into the room and find you riding my cock or something. I promise, you’ll be seeing stars later but you’ve gotta be patient.”

I smiled, letting out a low, amused hum. “You want me to ride your cock?”

“I may have thought about it once or twice,” Levi smirked, running his fingers along my torso, playing with the garter belt. I leaned back, my hands on his knees to give him better access to touch me. “It would be a turn-on, to watch you get yourself off on my cock.”

I let out a shaky breath, my head falling back. _“Daddy—“_

“Fuck, no,” He lifted me up by the hips, throwing me down onto the couch beside him, and I yelped. “Jesus, I can’t even keep my head straight around you.”

I groaned, kicking his chest lightly before throwing one leg over the back of the couch, the other falling into his lap. “You don’t have to.”

“You don’t understand, brat,” He crawled between my spread legs and I moaned. The look on his face, those _eyes_. He looked fucking feral. “You turn me into a fucking animal. I lose all sense of control every time you so much as walk into a room. All I can think about right now is ripping all these clothes off of you.”

“Do it,” I whispered. “Take my clothes off— _come on_ —“

“No,” I snapped my mouth shut at the tone in his voice, and he leaned his head down to whisper in my ear. “I will _literally rip your clothes_ if I’m not careful.”

_“God,”_ I whimpered. “How the fuck did I get so lucky. We’re gonna wreck the fucking hotel room tonight.”

“Oh, sweetheart,” I sighed when he put his hands on me, running his strong fingers up the length of my torso, and I arched my back into his body. I wanted to feel him so badly, I wanted him to touch me in ways that only he could touch me. I wanted him to push my every button, play my body like a damn grand piano, simply because he can, and it feels _so fucking good_ when he does. “It’s _you_ I plan on wrecking.”

“Ahh,” I moaned, high-pitched and whiney. “Don’t stop talking—“

The door made a beeping noise, the sound it makes when someone’s unlocking it to come inside, and I’m not sure I’d ever seen Levi move so quickly. He was off of me in seconds, sitting up in his original position on the couch, suddenly with a pillow over his lap to hide his obvious erection. I rolled over onto my stomach to hide my own strain in my jeans, and pretended to be playing on my phone.

“New plan,” Hanji said as they walked back inside. “We’re ordering room service. Can’t even get around down there, it’s a fucking madhouse. They really need a better system in this joint.”

Erwin raised an eyebrow when he saw us. His eyes flicked over to the pillow in Levi’s lap, then to my face, and I was sure my cheeks were flushed the color of tomatoes. He shook his head, taking a seat in a nearby armchair and refusing eye contact. A moment later, just as my heartbeat had finally calmed down, I received a secret little text from Levi, while Hanji loudly ordered room service, with Mikasa and Erwin calling out food orders to her.

**Levi:** _The second my fight is over tonight, I want you in a cab on the way back to the hotel. Just tell Mikasa you’re not feeling well. I want you naked and ready on the bed by the time I get back. If you’re gonna act like a cock-hungry slut, you’re gonna get treated like one._

I let out a shaky breath, my fingers flying across the screen to reply. My response was immediate, and submissive. Exactly how I wanted to be for him in moments like this.

**Eren:** _Yes, Daddy._

A moment later, I felt a small, gentle touch on my ankle, where my legs were laying in Levi’s lap still. But that gentle touch wasn’t fooling me any. He was already showing me a much darker side to him, a side that was sure to be dominant and ruthless—much different compared to the gentleman I’ve so far encountered.

And I couldn’t wait to see what kind of animal I’d be meeting tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IIIIIIIIIII was gonna update this last night but i had a panic attack instead. what can ya do lol.  
> PLEASE DO leave feedback, I so enjoy your wonderful little comments! I love how much you guys love my version of these amazing characters, it warms up my cold, depressed heart :') I sincerely apologize if it takes me a while to reply to your guys' comments, there's just so many!!


	10. Twelve Seconds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ackerman VS. Siss.  
> Lovebirds get freaky.  
> :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A COUPLE OF THINGS.  
> 1\. Levi DOES NOT wear a condom in this chapter. I DO NOT IN ANY WAY ENCOURAGE UNSAFE SEX, BUT SINCE THIS IS A STORY, lololol it happened how it happened so deal with it.  
> 2\. To those of you expecting and/or hoping for a very long fight scene, that's how I'd planned it, but it didn't quite work out that way. This chapter is mostly for the sex tbh. The fight scene isn't all that long, so I apologize.  
> 3\. As I say in every update, I SUCK BUTT AT PROOF-READING, and there are probably some typos. Sorry.  
> With that said, please enjoy!!! :)

_Chapter 10_

“Oh my God,” Mikasa yelled over screaming and music, fighting her way towards our seats, which were somewhere in front of the cage. “That man just puked on the girl in front of him!”

I made a face. “I’m sure there’s more where that came from. Let’s just hope we’re sitting by mostly sober people.”

The fights were getting ready to start, and if I thought that Levi’s fight in New York was crowded and insane, clearly I hadn’t seen anything yet. Vegas was twice as intense. Everyone was drunk before they’d even showed up, either yelling, fighting, laughing, or puking. I wasn’t even ready to know what it was going to be like when the actual fighting started. Granted, however, there were still sane people, patiently waiting for the fights to start. Those people, I imagined, were actual fans who wanted to remember who won the next morning when they woke up.

“If I’m being honest,” Mikasa said, just as we finally took our seats. “I love watching Levi fight, but I hate the fights leading up to the main event. I don’t really care about MMA.”

“Don’t you fight some too?”

“Yeah, but I do boxing. That’s where Levi got his start—he did a few pro-boxing matches before Erwin got his hands on him, and then he made a pretty abrupt switch, and he turned out to be amazing at it. He learned quick. When we were kids, we grew up in a pretty nasty neighborhood, and Levi had to learn to fend for the both of us. He’s been a fighter since we were practically babies.”

I bit down on my lip and leaned back into my seat, my eyes subconsciously glancing up to look at Levi’s picture on the screen. He looked strong, powerful, handsome. Like he didn’t even have to demand or earn respect in anyway, he just simply _had it._ He was confident, but not cocky. He was powerful, but gentle when it was me between his fingertips. Not so much when it was anyone else. He was stern when needed, but mostly laid back.

It hit me that I knew hardly anything about his past, except for a few comments made in previous conversations that I never dabbled into, in the fear of overstepping my boundaries. Levi was pretty private, and I didn’t want him to feel like I was prying at all. How hard would it be to break through that cold exterior?

It was a bit of a drag watching every fight before finally coming close to the main event. Most of the fights were pretty boring and standard—nothing particularly exciting happened. A few bloody noses and such. Nothing I couldn’t just watch on YouTube.

Time seemed to stretch before Levi and Luke’s fight. Like they were making the audience wait even longer, to hype them further, make them stir in anticipation. For weeks, Luke Siss has been talking trash about Levi—talking about how he isn’t a true fighter, how all of his wins were quote-on-quote “bullshit” and how he was going to hand Levi his ass once and for all.

And for weeks, Levi responded with nothing but sheer silence. Today at his press conference, he even had nothing but kind, humble words to say about Luke, saying that he admired his style and he was a respectful opponent. There was nothing sexier than a man who was humble, kind, and confident. That press conference alone had me wanting to drop to my knees and reward him for being such a wonderful person. Then again, every time Luke spoke poorly of Levi, I could see a hint of amusement in Levi’s eyes, like he couldn’t wait to drop-kick his ass straight to the ground where he belonged. I wondered what exactly Levi was holding back.

Screams erupted in the stands, and I looked up at the screen. Luke Siss was walking out with his entire team, all of his coaches and helpers. He had a hard look on his face, like a member of the mob or something. It was almost funny. It looked more like he needed to take a shit, and it wouldn’t come out. His face was red and blotchy, his lips pressed in a thin line.

When Levi’s face popped up on the screen, it could’ve ruined my eardrums from how loud it became. It was clear who the crowd favorite was, and it made my heart swell with pride, watching him step out, coming closer and closer to the cage. His expression was almost bored, like he had better things he could be doing, and if that was the case, I agreed. I loved watching Levi fight—his strength was immense and, admittedly, a turn-on—but he did have something better to do waiting for him. _Me._

Luke Siss was already in the cage when Levi stepped in just after Erwin slipped Levi’s mouth guard between his lips. They took a moment to bounce around for a moment, from foot-to-foot, as a warm-up. The referee stood in the center of the cage, making casual hand gestures and talking to both Luke and Levi. The second he moved out of the way, however, backing up towards the edge of the cage, Luke made a running start towards Levi, but Levi didn’t hesitate to take him down within seconds.

Levi had taken his time in studying the way Luke fights. He watched every video of every single fight at least a million times, as did Erwin. If I had a dollar for every time Erwin said the words, “Remember, Levi, Siss uses his speed as strategy” I’d be a fucking millionaire.

Luke was down on his knees, his head trapped in Levi’s strong arms, and Levi’s entire body was trapping Luke in his hold; one knee on the ground, the other leg over top of Luke’s back. They stayed in that position for no more than three seconds before Levi changed the position swiftly, not even giving Luke the smallest chance to get out of his hold, and I recognized the position they were suddenly in all too well.

The first time I ever saw Levi fight, on the evening we met, was when he broke Reiner Braun’s arm. He’d had him in a very complicated, nasty looking arm-bar, and that was that. He’s snapped Reiner like a twig—and if Luke didn’t tap, he’d do the same to him. Luke may have been known for his speed and agility, but Levi was known for breaking his opponent’s arm if that’s what it came down to. And he was damn good at it.

Thankfully, Luke was smarter than Reiner had been, and the second his arm got twisted up in Levi’s arms and legs, bending awkwardly at the shoulder, his opposite hand slapped down onto the ground a solid three times, and Levi rolled away, releasing his arm as quickly as he could.

The crowd was roaring—louder than ever. The referee was down on his knees next to Luke, yelling in his ear to make sure he was okay. I didn’t even realize I was standing up, my hands shaking, jaw practically on the floor until Mikasa smacked me in the arm in excitement, screaming, “Twelve seconds! Twelve seconds!”

Twelve seconds. It took Levi _twelve seconds._ And still yet, Levi had nothing more than a smirk on his face, yanking his mouth guard out and wiping his forehead. I wanted to scoff. He hadn’t even broken a sweat. He wasn’t bouncing around in excitement as I’d seen many fighters do. He wasn’t laughing, he wasn’t holding up his fist in victory. He simply smirked before turning and kneeling next to Luke, patting his back and, I can only assume, making sure he was okay.

It was only then that I remembered my job—to get my ass in a cab and get back to the hotel room, and I turned to Mikasa. She was wide-eyed and happy, her entire face sparkling in sheer pride. She looked like she was on the verge of running into that cage herself. She definitely looked more excited than Levi. I could only describe it as proud mom.

“Mikasa,” I yelled into her ear. “I’m not feeling well. I think I’m gonna take a cab back to the hotel. Let Levi know, okay?”

“Do you want me to—?”

“No, it’s okay. You stay here with your brother. I’m just feeling really nauseous.”

“Okay,” She gave my shoulder a gentle pat. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? Feel better and get some rest—it’s already almost one in the morning.”

I looked down at my phone in surprise, to find that she was right. These fights had taken forever, and I was silently thanking God that he’d gifted Levi with inhuman strength to take another man down in twelve seconds so that I could go back to the hotel and hopefully get fucked, sooner rather than later. I wasn’t keen on the idea of waiting much longer.

It wasn’t hard to find a cab—there were a shit on, all crowding around the building, waiting for people to start pouring out. I was glad I’d gotten out when I did, hardly anyone had been smart enough to get out quick and beat the inevitable traffic. I got into the nearest taxi I could find and jumped into the front seat, flashing a fake smile at the driver.

“Bellagio, please.”

It was no wonder I’d never trusted a single cab driver in my entire life—they were all horrendous at driving. I constantly felt like I was risking my life every time I stepped foot into a cab, and apparently it didn’t matter what state or country you were in, every cab driver had zero fucks to give about their own life, or yours. We were pushing sixty by the time the driver skid to a stop in front of the Bellagio, and I was pretty sure the speed limit was only thirty-five or something like that.

I fumbled through my wallet with shaky fingers (my anxiety was through the roof) and pulled out a few five dollar bills. “Here, you can keep the change as a tip for not fucking _killing_ us.”

“Or,” I froze when I felt his long fingers inch up my thigh, where they definitely didn’t belong. “I could accept something better as a tip, yeah?”

“Or,” I shoved his hand off of my leg, shooting him a harsh glare. “You could take my money as a tip before I punch you in the fucking throat.”

He held his hands up in defense and I threw my money into his lap before throwing myself out of the cab and making a beeline for the front doors of the hotel, hardly even watching for oncoming cars as I walked across the street. I was greeted politely by hotel staff the second I finally made it into the lobby, and I smiled politely in return. “Mr. Jaeger—can we get you anything?”

“Actually, would you mind sending some champagne up to my room?”

“Of course.”

My phone vibrated just as I got into the elevator, which I was thankfully in by myself, and would hopefully remain by myself. Being in the elevator with people I didn’t know got awkward.

**Mikasa:** _We’re heading back to the hotel now. I let Levi know you weren’t feeling well, and he said he’d take care of you. Are you okay with that or would you rather be alone?_

**Eren:** _He can come up. Thanks for asking, though._

I kind of, almost, felt bad lying just so Levi and I could be alone. But surely to God, had I not said I wasn’t feeling well, everyone would’ve crowded into our room to celebrate with alcohol and pizza or something, which was definitely not how I, nor Levi, wanted to celebrate. I knew at some point we’d have to hang out with everyone, probably at a casino or something, but tonight wasn’t that night.

I let myself into my hotel room quickly, stripping myself of my jeans, t-shirt and mesh crop-top before remembering I ordered champagne and I should probably be covered when it’s delivered, so I grabbed a white button-up out of Levi’s suitcase and pulled it on just as there was a knock on the door.

I pulled the door open and was met with a girl—about my age, brown hair pulled into a ponytail, wearing a hotel uniform. She was holding a tray with a bottle of champagne, and two glasses. She smiled politely as I welcomed her inside, glancing down at my attire. I was still wearing the lingerie beneath Levi’s shirt, and the mesh stockings still covered my legs up to my mid-thigh. She placed the tray down on the nearest table, and I handed her ten dollars I found as a tip. It was probably Levi's ten dollars, but he wouldn't miss it.

“Thank you so much,” I said, walking her to the door. “Have a nice—“

“Um,” She turned to me quickly, blushing. “Is Mr. Ackerman here? I’d love to congratulate him on—“

“No,” I said quickly, noticing the lovey-dovey look in her eyes all too well. “He’s not. Goodbye.”

“Oh—uh—“ I shut the door quickly, rolling my eyes. It was rude, I’ll be the first to admit, but I couldn’t bring myself to care as I started to pull Levi’s shirt down my shoulders when I suddenly changed my mind, smiling as I pulled it back up over my arms. Levi had said to be naked, and of course I wanted to obey, but it’d be so much more fun not to, just this once. I wanted to see his reaction to both the new lingerie, and me wearing his shirt, which slid off of one shoulder entirely from how loose it was on me.

I found the bottle of lube in Levi’s suitcase, where he must’ve put it back before anyone could see it, thankfully. I laid down on the couch, humming when I pulled the shirt up to bunch around my waist, and I awkwardly flipped over to my stomach, pulling the new lace panties just down past my ass. On the couch, I was in the perfect position for Levi to see me just as he steps through the door. For him to see me writhing around in agonizing need for him, moaning for him, and not even barely capable of pleasuring myself the way he does.

I poured a generous amount of lube onto my fingertips, reaching back carefully as to not let any drip onto the couch or the floor. I sighed when I came in contact with my hole, closing my eyes and rubbing, trying to imagine that they were Levi’s fingers pleasuring me, and not my own. It seemed to work for the moment, my knees shaking under my weight, and I let out a whimper when I let one finger slip inside. My finger wasn’t as long as Levi’s, and I didn’t know how to find my prostate the way he did, and it was severely disappointing. Nonetheless, I kept going, determined to prepare myself before Levi could return.

“Levi,” I whimpered, allowing another finger to pop inside, and I rocked back to meet the thrusting of my fingers, my legs trembling once more. I gasped and moaned, trying desperately to find that small bundle of nerves that Levi touched, but to no avail. “Fuck.”

I hadn’t even acknowledged the beep of the door, signaling that it was being unlocked, and Levi slipping inside quietly. The noise was way in the back of my mind, much too absorbed in my own struggles to care that anyone had walked in on me attempting to stretch myself out. It was only when I felt a strong hand on my wrist that I squeaked in surprise, turning my head so fast I was surprised I didn’t get whiplash. Levi laughed, adjusting my hand.

“No need to be scared, darling,” He said quietly. “Here, let me help you.”

“I-I can’t find…”

“I know, shhh,” He smirked. “I’m gonna help you.”

He adjusted my wrist again, just right, and I let out a long moan, my entire body freezing just as my fingers curled into that perfect spot, and I took control of my own hand from there, pounding into myself mindlessly, my hips writhing erratically as I fought for my own release. “Levi,” I cried. “Levi!”

“Easy now,” He laughed again, grabbing ahold of my wrist again to pull my fingers from my hole, and I whined miserably. He leaned down to press a gentle kiss to each cheek. “That’s mine, remember?”

I nodded quickly. “Yes. It’s yours, I’m sorry, I got carried away…”

He hummed, reaching around me for the bottle of lube. “That’s okay, baby. Why are you dressed? I asked you to be naked.” My jaw dropped when he slipped three lubed fingers inside of me, and my entire body stiffened. I couldn’t bring myself to answer as he pumped gently, not until I felt a large hand come down on my ass, hard and loud, and I squealed in both pleasure and pain. _“Answer me.”_

“I-I’m sorry, I ordered champagne,” I pointed weekly to the table. “I didn’t wanna be naked when it got here.” I yelped when he suddenly flipped me over onto my back, before grabbing the collar of his own shirt and yanking. Every button flew off onto the floor, and he yanked it off of my shoulders, throwing it somewhere to the side. I gasped. “Baby, that was your shirt.”

He yanked off my panties gently, throwing those to the side as well, which left only my garter belt and my thigh highs. “You think I can’t get a new one?”

“That was so hot,” I finally said, spreading my legs for him to crawl between them, and he sucked on my neck hard, sure to leave a mark, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. His fingers were digging into my hips so harshly it was sure to leave bruises, but despite that, I smiled in sheer ecstasy. “What’s gotten into you?”

“You,” He growled. “You’re under my skin. All I can think about is taking you.”

“I’m yours to take.”

He propped himself up on one elbow on the arm of the couch, the other hand reaching down to play with my ass again, slipping his fingers inside, and I trembled, letting out a whine. He looked so dangerous like this—it was the same look he had on his face when he won a fight. Narrowed eyes, a smirk on his lips, like he knew how good he was. And damn, was he good. “You love it, don’t you, baby? You love when I finger you.”

“I’d love it more if it were your cock.”

He chuckled. “I’m sure you would. Don’t worry, you’ll get my cock soon enough, I just need to make sure you’re prepped.”

“I still wanna suck it,” I whispered, on the verge of begging for it at this point. “Please? I’ve been such a good boy all day, Daddy. I promise I’ll make it feel really good.”

“You have been a good boy, haven’t you?” He considered me for a moment, the tip of his tongue peeking out to wet his lips, and I whimpered, leaning up to press my lips to his, and he didn’t hesitate to invade my mouth with that amazing tongue. I hummed, wrapping my lips around it and sucking gently, determined to give him a small preview of what my mouth would feel like on his cock instead. He groaned, pulling away. “That was naughty and you know it.”

“I’m only bad for you,” I whined. “Please.”

“Alright,” He pulled his fingers out of my ass, giving one cheek a light squeeze. “Come here, then.”

He leaned back and plopped down on the end of the couch, reaching down to unbuckle his belt and pull his jeans down just slightly, only enough to reveal his cock. It was hard, bright red, the head leaking pre-come. It slapped against his abdomen, just waiting to be sucked and licked to completion, and I could only hope he’d let me finish him like this.

I settled down on the floor between his legs excitedly and he chuckled, forcing a rough hand through my brown hair. “Look at you. It’s gonna be so hard to resist fucking that pretty mouth,” He let out a shuttering breath when I ran my fingertips down his thighs. “It’s so hard not to be rough with you. I can barely keep my control around you, Eren. You have turned me into a wild fucking animal.”

I smiled almost childishly, wrapping my fingers gently around his thick shaft. He was hard for me. It was me he wanted. It was me that he wanted to pleasure. I was the one who turned him into a supposed ‘wild fucking animal’ and his words only stroked my ego. I whispered, breath stroking the head of his cock, and his eyes darkened. “I never asked you to be gentle with me.”

I wrapped my lips around the head of his cock, my tongue delving into the slit and he groaned, head falling back in pleasure. I took more of him in, hollowing out my cheeks and suckling gently, the tip of my tongue tracing the vein. I teasingly released him with a pop and his fingers found my hair, his eyes focused intently on my lips.

I went back down with a smile, wrapping my fingers around the bottom of his shaft. There was no way I’d be able to take all of him in, not with how big he was, but I took as much as I could. The head came in contact with the back of my throat and I forced myself to relax my jaw, my tongue swirling around his shaft expertly.

“Fuck, Eren,” He growled. “You’re such a good boy.”

I moaned around him at the praise, the vibrations causing his cock to twitch in my mouth. I looked up to meet his eyes, and my own cock gave a little jump in interest. His eyes had darkened in nothing but sheer lust. He looked like he wanted nothing more than to simply throw me onto the table and fuck the life out of me, and that was exactly what I wanted as well. I had never seen such raw, sexual intensity in someone’s eyes before.

I allowed his cock to slip away from my lips once more, crawling up into his lap and straddling his waist, instead taking his erection into my hand and giving gentle, loose pumps of my wrist. “I know you wanna be rough with me.”

He groaned. “Eren—“

“C’mon,” I begged, pressing my forehead to his. Our chests pressed together when he wrapped one strong arm around my waist, the other hand grabbing the hair at the nape of my neck. “Come on—show me. I want you to snap. Fucking wreck me.”

I gasped when he shoved me back onto the couch and followed immediately, pressing my wrists into the arm of the couch above my head. We both moaned when he sunk inside of me without hesitation. This time, he didn’t have a condom on, and it was practically _heaven_. He didn’t start off slow like he had the previous evening, but instead began to pound into me relentlessly, and already I could feel the familiar heat welling up within my abdomen, letting me know that I’d be coming soon.

“This is what you’ve wanted all day, baby?” He growled into my ear, before biting down aggressively on my neck. I yelped, legs shaking around his waist and eyes rolling back into my head. “You’ve been craving Daddy’s cock?”

“Y-Yeah,” I whimpered. “Don’t stop. Please.”

“You wanna come, baby?” I nodded feverishly. “Then come for me.”

Somehow those four words were all it took for me to find my first release of the night—the warmth hitting my chest almost instantly. I was vaguely aware of the inevitably embarrassing noises I was making and the way my legs shook uncontrollably around his hips. He grunted, leaning down to suck on my collarbone, and despite my orgasm, the last thing I wanted was for him to stop.

“Keep going,” I whimpered weekly. “I wanna come again for you.”

Large hands grabbed at my hipbones and picked me up with ease, lifting the both of us from the couch. Within seconds, I was suddenly pinned against the small kitchenette countertop. The edge of the counter dug into my lower back, but before I could complain he lifted me so that I was sitting on the edge of the cold granite, pushing my legs back so that he could slide back inside of me easily.

I only noticed he was still fully clothed when I heard the metal of his belt buckle hitting against the wooden cabinets below, and somehow, the idea that Levi couldn’t even bring himself to undress before fucking me senseless was even hotter than I could’ve ever imagined. I cried out, reaching up to hold onto the cabinets above us, my fingers grasping at the tiny knobs. It wasn’t much to hold onto, but I didn’t have much balance otherwise. But at this angle, Levi hit my prostate perfectly, so I wasn’t about to move a single muscle.

“My perfect boy,” Levi growled, leaning forward to suck on the sensitive spot behind my ear harshly, his hand reaching up to push through my hair so hard it yanked my head backwards, and suddenly I was baring my entire throat to him. “Tell me how you want it.”

It wasn’t a suggestion. It was a demand. I could tell by his tone, the way I had to read between the lines. He wasn’t asking me what position I wanted to be in, because that wasn’t up to me and we both knew it. I was his to play with, and that’s how I wanted it. I didn’t want control, I didn’t want to have options. When it came to intimacy with Levi, I wanted him to use me. Own me. I wanted to be his, and his alone. I wanted to be utterly, entirely, completely submissive.

He wanted to hear the words, though, and I could’ve cried at that moment. Even in a moment like this, Levi was trying to be a gentleman, trying to make sure I was okay with this.

“Just like this,” I squeaked, finally, when I was capable of finding my voice. But when I did, it was raspy and hoarse. “I-I want you to take me anyway you want me. I’m yours. I’m fucking yours.”

I was on the verge of coming again. The head of my cock was bright red again, dripping with pre-come. I’d already orgasmed once untouched, and it was about to happen again. Either Levi had some sort of sex power, or there was some other holy entity in this fucking hotel room, because only a few days prior, I was entirely convinced that I wasn’t even capable of an orgasm. But yet here I was, coming again and again, and probably again after that.

Levi growled, gripping one of my legs at the bend of the knee and lifting my ankle to rest on his shoulder, and I suddenly squeaked, throwing my head back so hard that it smacked against the bottom of the cabinets above my head. I couldn’t be bothered to acknowledge the pain, though. At this new angle, Levi was so deep, so reckless, so fucking _beautiful._

He was covered in a thin sheen of sweat, his hair sticking to his forehead, his nostrils flared, his lips parted in sheer pleasure. He looked unreal. Holy, or maybe unholy, I didn’t know for sure. He looked like he belonged in a different universe, and it was stunning. He was stunning, and it only brought me closer to my second release of the night.

“Daddy, I’m gonna come again,” I whimpered meekly, my hips moving sporadically.

“Not yet,” He growled. “Hold it, brat.”

“Come on,” I urged him. “I want you to come with me, please. Come inside of me.”

“Jesus,” He gasped, eyes squeezing shut before he pried them open again, seemingly deciding that he wanted to watch me. “You’re such a naughty boy, aren’t you, Eren? You love this.”

“I know you can do better, though,” I challenged, trying to hide the smirk on my lips when his eyes darkened. “You want to snap, I know you do. I want you to.”

We both moaned when his hips began to snap harder, faster. _Harder, harder, harder_ —he was relentless, a fucking beast, and my eyes were rolling into the back of my head by the time he reached his hand up to wrap his fingers around my throat. He growled, and in the midst of my blinding pleasure, I could make out a single word uttered, _“Come.”_

I was screaming then, sure to have a sore throat later, because then I was coming, all over the both of us, and he was coming inside of me and I just couldn’t stop the pleasure rolling through my overheated body. It felt like an eternity had passed, and I was only vaguely aware of Levi carrying me to the bed, and it felt more like I was floating. I was shaking against his body, the orgasm was never-ending. I was in an endless state of complete bliss.

“Don’t p-pull out.” I whimpered when he dropped us both down gently onto the bed, his cock moving inside of me.

Levi chuckled in my ear. “Need to come again?”

“Baby,” I gasped. “I haven’t s-stopped.”

“Dry orgasm, huh?” Levi pressed ghost kisses across my cheeks, nose, lips. Comforting, soothing kisses. “Feel good?”

“Make me come again,” I pleaded. “One more time. I promise it’ll be fast.”

Levi rose an eyebrow at me, cocking his head to the side. “Are you asking me or telling me?”

I bit down on my lip. “Asking.”

“And how do you think good boys ask their Daddy for things? Hm?”

_“Please,”_ I corrected myself, leaning up to press my forehead to his, pawing at his chest uselessly. “Let me come again?”

“Good boy, that was much better. Why don’t you get on your stomach for me? Show Daddy that pretty little ass.”

He pulled out of me slowly, and I wasted no time flipping over onto my stomach, bending one leg and raising my ass in the air just slightly for him to slide back in. It was the first moment in the whole evening that I hadn’t had something inside of me, and after having his cock in me for so long, I felt empty. Not to mention, I could feel his come dripping out of my hole from when he’d released inside of me, and I wished I could see it for myself.

I turned my head to watch Levi just as he guided his cock back towards my ass. He rubbed the head over my hole teasingly for a moment, smirking at me when he caught me watching him, his other hand rubbing my back soothingly as he sunk into me once more.

Levi growled once he was bottomed out, his body hovering over mine, peppering gentle kisses across my shoulders. “What do you say now that Daddy’s giving you what you wanted?”

“Thank you,” I squeaked, eyes squeezing shut as he started to move his hips. “Thank you, Daddy.”

“Your little hole takes me in so greedily,” He chuckled. “As soon as I slide in, you clench around Daddy’s cock— _fuck,_ just like that, baby.”

“Please keep talking,” I begged, toes curling as his hips began to move faster. “I—that feels so good. You’re so deep.”

Levi grabbed onto my hip at that moment, adjusting me just slightly so that my ass was raised just a little bit more, and— _mother of fuck_ —he knew how to play my body perfectly, because then he was finally hitting my prostate again, so hard and deep, and my knuckles were white with how hard I was clenching the sheets beneath me.

“I don’t want you to be able to feel those pretty legs tomorrow,” Levi growled, biting down on the nape of my neck, and I shivered. “You’re Daddy’s little cock hungry slut, aren’t you? You love being filled like this.”

“Y-Yes,” I agreed, trying to force my hips back to meet his harsh thrusts, but with the grip he had on my hip, I couldn’t move. “I love it.”

“Come for me,” He demanded for the second time that evening. And just like that, I could feel the familiar heat in my stomach rushing to the head of my cock, and I cried out. “That’s it. Be a good boy and come.”

I did exactly that only seconds later, hips thrusting and thrashing into the comforter as I reached my orgasm, only vaguely aware of Levi grabbing me by the chin and tilting my head backwards ever so slightly so that he could reach my lips. I moaned uncontrollably against his kiss, and he only released me when his own orgasm crept up on him with no warning whatsoever.

It took Levi a long time to pull out of me, hissing as he did so. I had a feeling he had to gather strength first. Levi came twice and me three times, in a very short period of time, and it took a lot more out of me than I thought it would. My entire body felt limp, like a cooked noodle, and I wanted nothing more than to simply lay in his arms for the remainder of the evening, doing nothing but talking and making out, with a slight chance of a little more love-making in the wee hours of the morning, but maybe a bit more gently. While I loved how rough Levi could get (and I was positive that he could become even more aggressive, and he was holding out on me) three orgasms in under an hour was enough for now.

Levi returned from the bathroom with a warm washcloth and he wiped my body down in a comfortable, lazy silence, only speaking to me in small signals. He tapped my hip, his way of telling me to roll over, so that he could wipe my front. Then he threw the washcloth back into the bathroom, where it landed somewhere with a wet, slopping sound, and tucked me into the covers before moving away to remove his clothes.

I removed my garter belt and stockings under the sheets, throwing the items of clothing at him with a giggle. He sent a playful glare my way when my stocking fell onto his head. “You think you’re funny?”

I bit my lip, trying to stop myself from snorting when he yanked the stocking off of his head and threw it onto the floor. “I don’t know, maybe.”

I squealed when he suddenly jumped onto the bed, hovering over top of me and digging his fingers into my sides. I flailed beneath the covers, laughing uncontrollably until my ribs were hurting. “S-Stop that’s n-not…hah…fair! Levi!”

“God,” He suddenly stopped, his hands on either side of my head. My smile faded. The look he was giving me was indescribable. I couldn’t even place it. He just looked…like a child. So carefree, his eyes clouded in wonder. He was looking at me like I was precious, and the idea that someone could adore me that much was both terrifying and overwhelming. “You have the most beautiful smile.”

I took in a shaky breath, one of my hands reaching up to caress his face, and I reluctantly allowed my fingertip to trace the outline of his soft lips. I couldn’t bring myself to respond, didn’t know what to say. What could I say to a compliment like that? I’d never been complimented with such raw honesty in my life. It was like the words had almost slipped from his lips, like he didn’t mean to say it out loud. And then I thought, maybe it wasn’t even what he’d said. It was how he said it. With the same intense wonder that his eyes held.

I finally forced myself to speak after another long moment passed of Levi staring at me like I was an angel sent from Heaven. “Um…y’know, there’s champagne over there that we never drank.”

Levi laughed, plopping down beside me and pulling my close, his face hiding in the crook of my neck, where he placed tiny kisses all across the smooth, tanned skin. “That there is, brat.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The calm before the storm...well...not really a storm. More like a light sprinkle with a few clouds.  
> FOR THE RECORD, I honestly HATE ANGST when I read fan fictions, so for everyone's sake, this story isn't really gonna be that angsty when it comes to Levi and Eren's relationship (sorry if you like angst) so there aren't gonna be too many relationship problems lolol.
> 
> ALSOOOO, i'm kind of working on a new short Ereri story heheheheheh vjsehteuskgnsjehsekwtwuths HELL YEAH. It's different from what I'm used to writing but I'm superrrrrrr excited to share it!
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoyed and please do leave feedback! :)


	11. Blow The Dice for Good Luck, Baby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the what happens in vegas AU that no one asked for :')

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG BUT I KIND OF FUCKING HATED WRITING THIS CHAPTER BECAUSE FOR SOME REASON IT WAS SO HARD??? LIKE NOTHING PARTICULARLY BAD HAPPENS BUT EVERY TIME I TRIED TO WRITE IT JUST FELT SHITTY AF AND I FELT LIKE I COULDN'T FIND THE RIGHT WORDS FOR ANYTHING AND TBH I HAVE A HARD TIME WRITING IN LEVI'S POV AND GEJKSNGWEHTKWGBWHTWENKW I'M SO SORRY IT TOOK KIND OF FOREVER?????

_Chapter 11_

Levi’s POV.

When I woke up that morning, Eren wasn’t next to me. I laid there for a long moment, mostly confused about why the bed beside me was cold, why I didn’t have a little naked brat curled overtop of me, why I didn’t have anything to kiss all over upon waking up.

And then I saw him on the terrace, wearing the same shirt of mine that I’d torn off of him last night, leaning over the ledge to look at the city below him. The sun was just beginning to rise, and God, did he look gorgeous in that glow. He was stunning. Looking at him never got old. His body was beautiful, his legs were beautiful, his eyes alone could bring me to my knees.

I lifted myself out of bed to follow him onto the terrace, not caring that I was entirely naked for the world to see. No one in Vegas would be up at this ungodly hour. The majority of people I’d seen while coming back from my fight were drunk. Everyone would probably be out cold until noon, at least.

I pressed my front to Eren’s back, peppering kisses along his neck then down to his shoulder, gently dragging the material of my shirt out of the way to continue my trail. Eren giggled, leaning his head back against my chest, those stunning eyes gazing back into mine. “I was kind of hoping you wouldn’t wake up just yet.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“I wanted to wake you up with a blowjob. But you’ve kind of ruined that for me.”

“Well I could always pretend to go back to sleep,” I mumbled against the skin of his shoulder. Eren laughed. “It doesn’t have to be ruined.”

He turned in my arms, shaking his head. “Too late. You’ve ruined the surprise. Better luck tomorrow morning.”

The thought of tomorrow made something deep in my gut twist angrily, and I frowned, pressing my forehead against Eren’s. A look of concern flashed across his face. “We leave tomorrow afternoon.”

“We do.”

I ran my hands up his sides, my fingertips running across his ribcage. “I don’t want this to be over. I love waking up next to you,” He gasped when I lifted him up in my arms and backed him up onto the ledge of the balcony so that he could sit. “Making love to you whenever I want. Drinking champagne with you in the middle of the night.”

“You can still do all of that,” Eren breathed, heading dropping back so I could suck on his newly exposed throat. “Don’t let me fall.”

I growled. “Never, baby.”

“Take me back to bed,” He whispered, wrapping his arms around my shoulders and leaning into me. “It’s cold out here.”

I picked him up, my hands under his ass, his legs wrapped comfortably around my waist. He was right, it was a bit chilly. “Then why did you come out here?”

“Well I didn’t _know_ that it would be cold.”

“You didn’t _know_ that it would be cold outside at five in the morning?” Eren huffed, kicking me gently in the lower back with his heel, and I responded with a laugh, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “Alright, alright. Do you wanna take a bath?”

He nodded into the crook of my neck. “Only if you take one with me.”

“Of course.”

I placed Eren on the bathroom counter, where he complained about the granite being cold on his “booty” while I moved to turn the water on and make sure it was warm. I made fun of him for using the word booty in reference to his ass, only for him to threaten to not let me near his booty, for at least a week if I continued to tease him. I wasn’t willing to take that risk, so I shut up pretty quickly.

I took a glance in his direction, leaning down to plug the bathtub’s drain. I couldn’t help but to smile. He looked so beautiful. His tan skin glowed, his eyes fluttered shut as he leaned his head back against the mirror patiently. I snuck out of the bathroom and picked my phone up off of the nightstand, before returning to the doorway and pulling up the camera app on my phone.

The shutter went off and I cursed. Eren’s eyes snapped open, his mouth dropping in amusement. “Are you taking secret pictures of me?”

“Well, I was trying to. Didn’t know the sound was on.”

“Well let me see,” He nodded in the direction of my phone in my hand, but I hesitated. Eren smiled. “Well come here, sexy. I just wanna see it.”

“No, you’ll delete it.”

“No I’m not!” His smile told me otherwise. “I just wanna see, promise.”

“You’re a horrible liar.”

Eren groaned. “Levi, I’m naked! If someone see’s—“

“No one is gonna see,” I threw my cellphone on the bed behind me so that it was far away from him, before stepping closer between his legs. They widened automatically to let me in, and I subconsciously allowed my fingers to trace the small stretch marks there on the outside of his thighs that I adored so much. I had yet to tell him that, of course, afraid I’d embarrass him or something. “Your body is for my eyes only, you know that.”

“I’m not saying you’d _show_ anyone, but if someone were to look through your pictures or something—“

“Then I would threaten to cut off their balls and feed them to Titan if they ever so much as thought of you naked ever again,” I pressed a kiss to the corner of his pretty lips. “But I can assure you, I will never have to do that because no one will ever see a single naked picture I ever take of you.”

A smile stretched across his face. “Exactly how many naked pictures do you plan on taking?”

“As many as you’ll let me take.”

“If you want,” His fingertip traced my bicep, smiling gently, and I recognized those bedroom eyes instantly. “I could get some pictures taken professionally. Just for you. If you wanted.”

I groaned, my head falling forward onto his shoulder, and he giggled. “You’re gonna kill me.”

“And maybe,” His legs wrapped around my waist again, scooting closer so that he was on the edge of the countertop, his chest pressed against mine. “It might be kinda fun to make a _video._ ”

“Oh, dear God,” I growled, my fingers tightening into the flesh of his thighs. “Don’t tempt me, brat.”

Eren hummed, squeezing at the muscles in my arms. “Levi.”

“Yeah?”

“Turn the damn water off and take me back to bed _now._ ”

“Absolutely.”

***

Eren and I spent the majority of the afternoon in bed. We had sex, ate breakfast, had more sex, watched twenty-five minutes of The Heat, had sex when that got boring, ate lunch, had sex, then finally took that bath I’d promised him, and just before we could have sex again, there was that infamous knock on the door. I liked to call it “The Hanji Knock” because, well, she used the same knock every time, and it tended to haunt me in my dreams.

She knocked three times, paused. Then she knocked four times, paused. Then five times, paused again. This would continue until you answered the damn door, and it would never stop if you didn’t. Hanji was like a roach. You could smash her, light her on fire, and physically kick her out of your house, but she would always come back.

And much to absolutely no one’s surprise, Erwin and Mikasa were right there with her. Eren had grabbed his suitcase and scrambled into the bathroom to get dressed before anyone could come in and realize what we’d been up to, but I was genuinely surprised that no one had noticed except for Erwin, and the only reason Erwin noticed was because he caught us in the act.

“How is Eren feeling?” Mikasa asked.

I had to hesitate, because for a brief moment, I genuinely didn’t know what the hell she was talking about until I remembered last night. The brief pause made me want to punch myself in the face. Mikasa was smart, and she didn’t need to catch anyone in any kind of act to figure things out. One more hesitation and she’d already be onto us. Still, I managed to play it off as though I were only letting out a heavy sigh. “Feeling better. The brat kept me up all night, though.”

Well, it wasn’t a complete lie. “That’s good. He in the bathroom?”

“Yeah, he took a bath. I think he’s just about good as new.”

“That’s perfect,” Hanji had a sickening smile on her face, and already I wished Eren and I were alone again. I never liked that smile. It always meant trouble. “Because we’re going to every casino on the strip tonight, and I’m dragging you with me, and you’re gonna gamble and have fun.”

Eren came out at that moment, cheeks flushed, hair a little messy and tucked behind one ear. He looked adorable, wearing a Rolling Stones t-shirt, the one with the tongue sticking out. He had on a new pair of jeans, and like the majority of the jeans he owned, they were ripped and cuffed, but made his ass look phenomenal. He also had on what looked like a brand new pair of Adidas shoes. Hell, his whole outfit was probably brand new.

“Glad you’re feeling better,” Erwin said, and I shot a not-so-subtle glare in his direction. His tone was a little too close to the edge of sarcastic, and although Hanji couldn’t understand sarcasm to save her life, Mikasa was raised on sarcasm and she’d catch on quick.

“Thanks,” Eren looked uncomfortable. He’d caught the tone in his voice, too. “So, where are we going? I’m getting kind of hungry.”

It was ridiculous how badly I wanted to just grab him and take him to get some food just at those simple words. I could’ve picked up the phone right then and called room service, demanded they make one of everything on their damn menu and have it sent up instantly, make it a damn priority. I felt like I was rolling out a red carpet for the brat and there was nothing I could do to control it. I couldn’t control the incessant need I had to make him happy, to fulfill his every wish and desire, to lift him up and to see him thrive in every way imaginable. All because he said he was getting _kind of_ hungry.

I was completely, utterly, shamelessly wrapped around his little finger.

“Yeah, me too,” Said Mikasa. And let me tell you, I wasn’t nearly as eager to feed her. I also wasn’t wrapped around her finger. “If everyone is ready, let’s go get dinner before we do anything.”

Erwin nodded. “Agreed.”

Hanji, however, groaned just as Mikasa and Erwin made their way out of the hotel room. She followed anyways. Then Eren, then me. “You guys! This is our last night in Vegas and you wanna eat?! Let’s go party, get shit-faced, screw random strangers!”

Since no one was looking, I slipped a teasing hand into the pocket of Eren’s jeans, kneading his ass to let him know that _I_ certainly wasn’t going to be screwing any random strangers. By the way he turned to look at my briefly, all fluttering eyelashes and biting his lip, I got my message across.

“Sorry, Hanji. We’re all hungry.”

Hanji groaned again, longer and louder this time, and I snorted. “That’s the sound you made a couple of years ago when you and Erwin got drunk and had sex in my bedroom.”

Eren choked. “What?!”

Erwin winced, while Mikasa cackled. A cackle that could’ve rivaled Hanji herself. “Let’s not talk about—“

Hanji smacked Erwin in the shoulder. “Good times, Smith. Good times.”

“Hang on,” Eren was trying to hide his smile. “Someone explain?”

Hanji launched into the story as we stepped into the opening elevator. As always, she dramatized it, but Eren hung on her every word. The story lasted the entire long elevator ride, all the way through the lobby, and across the street. Erwin jumped in every once in a while, of course. Little comments like, “that’s not how it happened” and “we didn’t do it _that_ many times, Hanji.”

Eren laughed all the while. I hung back, hands in my pockets, trying to freeze him in that moment. I wanted to see him smile like that forever, no matter what it came down to. I could tell he didn’t like to hear it, but that smile was… _good God_. That smile made my world stop spinning, and as much as I wanted to tell him, or scream it to the world, I couldn’t do it. He seemed so uncomfortable whenever I attempted to compliment him, or treat him like a boyfriend. I didn’t want to scare him off when I only just finally got him after two months of longing, sexual deprivation, staring a little too long, wishing a little too hard, and the temptation to just grab him and kiss all over his pretty face.

“You okay?” I looked over at Mikasa, who had nudged my shoulder with her own. She smiled at me crookedly.

“Yeah, I’m good. Why?”

“Don’t get all defensive on me now, I was just making sure,” Her grin was toothy. “Hey…Don’t get mad at me for saying this but, I see the way you look at him. It’s kind of obvious.”

“Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yes, you do,” She lowered her voice, glancing up at the three in front of us. Eren was in between Erwin and Hanji, who were still arguing about their sexual adventures together. Eren was laughing. “You’re typically very good at hiding your emotions. I think you’re losing your touch, big brother. May want to work on that. But hey, if it makes you feel any better, he looks at you the same way. And I approve.”

It was silent after that until we arrived at the restaurant. I wasn’t sure how to respond just yet. I was appreciative, but the truth is, I wouldn’t have given two monkey shits if she didn’t approve, and I would’ve never asked for any kind of approval. And also, I was trying to process the idea that I’d been caught staring, which was mortifying to say the least. Not to mention, Eren apparently looked at me a certain way too, and that shouldn’t have made me feel that giddy. I’m a grown man, dammit.

Hanji ordered shots for everyone the second we were seated at our table, which was in a fairly secluded spot, thank God. I tried to protest to the disgusting vodka placed in front of me, but Hanji peer-pressured me, and I knew if I didn’t just suck it down, I’d never hear the end of it. And even worse, I was seated on the opposite side of the table from Eren, who was directly across from me and I wasn’t having any of it. I was ready to force Hanji to trade me spots and make up some lame excuse as to why I wanted to trade, but I quickly changed my mind when I felt his foot trace the inside of my leg, forcing my knees further apart. He’d taken his shoe off, which somehow made it feel a lot more dangerous.

The little brat had found a way to still touch me despite us being on opposite sides of the table. No, scratch that. He found a way to give me a boner and drive me out of my mind with thoughts of doing unimaginably dirty things to him.

“I kind of want wine,” Eren thought aloud, his little toes just barely pressing against my growing bulge. “But everything I’ve tried is always so bitter and dry.”

“I bet they have some dessert wines,” Mikasa suggested. “Or maybe even champagne.”

“I want more shots,” Hanji winked.

Erwin heaved a sigh. “Please, God, no. You get handsy when you’re drunk.”

“Don’t pretend you don’t like it.”

It was then that, thankfully, our waiter decided to show up at the end of our table with a smile a little too bright. But either way, I’d rather sit here and talk to the waiter than listen to Hanji and Erwin talk about their awkward drunken sexual adventures. That is, until the waiter started eyeing Eren a little too enthusiastically for my liking. Eren, the little brat, hardly noticed.

I didn’t catch the waiter’s name, didn’t care to, but I think it started with a J. I couldn’t concentrate with the way Eren’s foot was continuously caressing the insides of my legs and my bulge. He started with drinks, and to no one’s surprise, Hanji got a Whiskey Sour and three more shots of their most expensive vodka, at her personal request.

Eren bit down on his lip, looking up at the waiter bashfully. I knew that look. He couldn’t decide what he wanted. “Um, okay—do you guys have wine that’s actually sweet? I don’t like anything bitter or dry, but sometimes wine can be a little bit watery. And I’m rambling, and you’re laughing at me—“

The waiter laughed, throwing his head back. “No, no. Not laughing at you. Rambling is cute.”

“Oh, damn,” I heard Hanji mutter, her eyes widening in what I could only guess was delight. Eren’s cheeks flushed, his eyes flashing towards me, his little toes pausing mid-curl against my crotch.

“But yes, we do have a few dessert wines. Not to make it more expensive for you, but this one—“ The waiter leaned over to point at Eren’s menu. “—is amazing. I know it’s a bit pricier, but—“

“That’s fine,” Eren said quickly, smiling a bit awkwardly and leaning away. Mikasa snorted, covering her smile with her hand. “That one is fine.”

The waiter finished taking drink orders, and Eren came out of his shock and discomfort to continue rubbing his foot gently across my leg, and I reciprocated by grabbing his ankle discreetly beneath the table and running my fingertips along his calf gently. He sighed, biting down on his bottom lip, eyes on me. I couldn’t help but to allow the corner of my lip to twitch up into a smile. That waiter could flirt and move in closer all he wanted. It didn’t bother me any so long as he kept his hands to himself. This brat was mine, and by the way he was looking at me now, I wasn’t the only one who thought so.

“Well that was awkward,” Mikasa retorted. “He was into you.”

“Yeah, well,” Eren smiled. “What can I say? I’m a total knockout.”

By the time dinner was over, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to fall into bed in sheer exhaustion just from listening to Hanji talk, kill someone, or possibly kill myself. I’d witnessed that same waiter touch Eren’s hair, listened to Hanji encourage him to ‘get some’ and I’ve witnessed Erwin staring at my sister’s boobs twice. So imagine my absolute and utter _horror_ when we step out of the restaurant only to witness a half-naked fake Elvis Presley grab my boyfriend’s ass.

Now I don’t remember going after half-naked Elvis. I don’t remember pulling my fist back. I don’t remember the anger coursing through me. What I do remember is Erwin wrapping his arms around me to hold me back, and fake Elvis making a mad dash for it, and his wig falling off and landing at my feet.

Erwin let me go cautiously, but despite what he may have thought, I didn’t try to go after him. There was no need to cause more of a scene than I already had, and if that wasn’t awful enough, the bystanders who had witness my little tiff with naked Elvis had recognized me and were soon crowding around excitedly.

“Check this out!” Hanji slurred excitedly, picking up the forgotten wig and putting it on top of her head. “He forgot his wig.”

I grimaced. “Take that off, you look fucking ridiculous. What if he had lice or something?”

Erwin tugged on my arm. “Levi, we should go. There’s a lot of people staring at you right now.”

“Let them stare,” Hanji smiled drunkenly. How many shots did she have? It wasn’t even ten o’clock yet. “I look fabulous.”

“Let’s _go._ ”

In the ten minutes it took us to walk to the nearest casino, Erwin lectured me and Hanji sang about four Elvis songs, each one worse than the last. She got almost every word wrong, Mikasa having to correct her whenever she messed up the lyrics, and Eren couldn’t stop giggling.

Erwin sighed heavily and pointedly. “Levi, are you even listening to me? _What_ has gotten into you?”

“—But I can’t help falling in love with you!”

I rolled my eyes. “Nothing. Jesus. Can you drop it?”

“—Like a river flows, surely to the sea! Darling, so it goes—“

“Hanji, shut the fuck up.”

Hanji split off the second we stepped into the casino, and Erwin followed. We lost Mikasa somewhere next to a bar, but Eren stuck close to my side, which I was admittedly kind of grateful for. It was one thing to lose Mikasa, Erwin and Hanji. Hell, I was constantly praying I’d lose them. But Eren was different. He’d been hit on by two different guys tonight, and if a random Elvis Presley lookalike was ballsy enough to grab his ass, who knows what some freak might do. Sure, I was being overprotective, but it wasn’t something I could picture myself helping.

“Levi,” Eren murmured, tapping my arm. I noticed he was careful to keep a distance, probably in the fear that someone would snap a picture of us on the verge of making out, and then it would be all over social media. At this rate, I wasn’t sure I gave a shit. “You should gamble. See if you can win anything.”

I smirked. “Wouldn’t it just be more fun to go to the bathroom and make out in the stall?”

Eren blushed bright red, giggling. “Well, _yeah_. But you wouldn’t do that anyways, you think public bathrooms are nasty.”

“They are. Especially in Vegas. Do you know how many people—?”

“Babe,” Eren interrupted, rolling his eyes playfully. “Not another bathroom lecture. C’mon. Let’s have fun here while we can. Let’s get drunk together and go have drunken sex and wake up with bad hangovers. It’ll be so much fun. Almost as fun as watching you beat up a perverted Elvis.”

I grunted. “Let’s never talk about that again.”

Eren threw his head back in laughter. “Why? It was sweet. It was so hard not kissing you after that. All I’ve wanted to do all night was show you that you’re the only one I want, no matter who tries to flirt with me.”

My lip twitched in a smile that I didn’t allow myself. “Yeah? Does it turn you on, knowing how badly I want to tear every guy who touches you to shreds?”

“Mhm,” He bit down on that lower lip again and _dammit,_ he was impossible. He had to know how much it turned me on when he did that. Every little thing he did made my head spin, and there was no way I hid it very well. He had to know. “And I’ll show you just how much it turns me on later. But for now, we should have fun while we’re here. Okay?”

I couldn’t stop myself from reaching my hand up to caress his cheekbone with the pad of my thumb. I didn’t care who saw, and I sure as hell didn’t care who took pictures. “Okay, sweetheart.”

***

My head was pounding. Throbbing. I could see light pouring into the room through my eyelids, which only made it worse. I groaned, slapping a hand over my face. I could feel a little body entwined with my own, a hand on my chest, one leg thrown over my waist. I noted that I was naked. I prayed to whoever would listen that it was Eren snuggled against me, but I couldn’t bring myself to open my eyes yet or sit up.

What the hell had even happened last night? We had hopped from casino to casino…there was a lot of drinking involved…Hanji was still wearing that damn Elvis wig. But there was another Elvis involved somewhere in the blur that was my mind. Right? Or had I been dreaming? Had I _ever_ been that drunk?

I finally brought myself to crack open one eye, sighing in relief when I saw that not only was the body next to mine Eren’s, but we made it back safely to our own hotel room. Our hotel room which just so happened to be completely fucking destroyed somehow.

The curtains had come down, rod and all, which explained the excessive amount of light. We weren’t even on the bed, but we had for some reason brought all the pillows and blankets down onto the floor to sleep. My bottle of lube was next to my head, almost entirely empty, so we must’ve had sex. A lot of sex. The couch was flipped over onto its back. The headboard on the bed had fallen.

I separated myself from Eren, wrapping him up in my arms, along with all of the blankets, and lifting him up gently to place him on the bed. I brushed a few stray hairs out of his eyes and pressed a kiss to his forehead. His only response was to snuggle further into the nest of blankets wrapped around him.

I crept into the bathroom as slowly and as quietly as I could, turning the faucet on and examining my face in the mirror. I cringed. Hungover didn’t it begin to describe it. I looked like a walking corpse.

I leaned down into the sink, splashing water onto my face to hopefully wake myself up. The last thing I wanted was to have to pay some huge fee for them to fix their penthouse, so I was going to have to wake up and fix it myself, all while attempting not to wake up Eren.

I grabbed a towel from the rack to dry my face, only when I lowered the towel from my eyes, something gold caught my eye. Something gold on my finger. Something gold on my ring finger. My stomach lurched in fear. No. _No_. No fucking way.

I cracked the door open. I peered over Eren’s sleeping frame to try and see his hand, but it was curled under his chin cutely. I sighed, gently grabbing ahold of his wrist and, being very careful not to wake him up, pulled it from under his chin with the high hopes that perhaps I just stole someone’s ring and put it on.

My heart sank.

There, on his ring finger, was the biggest fucking diamond ring I’d ever seen in my life. It was practically a fucking rock. A big, circular diamond ring that looked absolutely breathtaking on his hand, if it weren’t for the fact that we shouldn’t be married yet.

I sunk down onto the bed next to him, my heart pounding so hard in my chest, I couldn’t even bring myself to move. This was a panic attack. I was having a fucking panic attack. I breathed in deep, bending so that my head was between my knees. I tried to keep myself quiet. The last thing I wanted was for Eren to wake up and see me like this. Hungover, having a panic attack, and suddenly remembering exactly what happened.

We’d gambled. I remembered Eren blowing on my dice for good luck, flashing me teasing glances. We’d won some money out of it, I think, and in our excitement, we’d gotten married. I’d taken us both to get rings. There was another Elvis—he was the guy who married us. Then we’d come back here. We almost hadn’t even made it to the room, we’d started sucking each other’s faces in the elevator on the way up, all happy and giddy from getting married. I had thrown him onto the couch, and the couch ended up tilting backwards. Then I had been fucking him up against the window, which was how the curtains fell, because he’d been gripping them so hard. Then we moved to the bed, and the headboard broke. I still couldn’t figure out how we’d ended up on the floor.

“Levi,” Eren groaned, turning over onto his stomach and hiding his face in the comforter. “Turn the goddamn lights off. What the fuck, are you nuts?”

“Eren.”

“My head is pounding and my ass hurts. What the hell did you do to me last night?”

“Eren—“

He huffed. “Baby, I don’t mean to be rude, but would you please try and find me some fucking Advil or something? My entire body is sore. I think you literally destroyed me last night. And I can hardly remember it, which is total bullshit—“

“Eren,” I finally snapped to gain his attention. He poked his head up, eyes wide, and I instantly softened. I couldn’t bring myself to be frustrated, not even when he wasn’t listening. “Sweetheart, please stop talking for a second so that I can think?”

“Think about what?”

Instead of answering, I reached for his left hand and held it up close to his face. The color drained from his cheeks, and his eyes widened. He looked completely and utterly mortified, which was exactly how I felt. But the more I thought about it, the more it didn’t seem so bad. I adored Eren. I’d bend over backwards to make him happy. Was marriage such a big deal? Sure, it was really soon, and we couldn’t even remember it, but…

No. I was talking crazy. Marriage definitely wasn’t what we needed right now. We still had a long way to go before even thinking about marriage. But _fuck_ , I couldn’t deny how much I loved seeing that ring on his finger.

However, the look on Eren’s face told me he didn’t quite feel the same. I also got the hint when he calmly got out of bed, walked into the bathroom, and puked in the toilet.

What a way to start a marriage, am I right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY HI HELLO A FEW THINGS  
> 1) I applied for this new job that I REALLY FUCKING WANT so please pray (or just wish really hard for me if you don't pray or don't believe in God lol) THAT I GET IT 'CAUSE IT'D BE SO PERFECT FOR ME.  
> 2) I JUST PUBLISHED THAT NEW ERERI STORY I WAS TALKING ABOUT SO PLEASEEEE GO READ IT. Again, it's extremely different compared to what I'm used to writing it and it shouldn't be very long tbh, but I thought it was kind of a fun and different concept that I was super stoked to write about :) So please go give it a shot, it'd mean so much!! It's called "I Feel a Sin Comin' On"  
> 3) I hardly proof-read this AT ALL because I've been working on this chapter all day and I was just D.O.N.E so please excuse any typos or errors. I am now going to go watch Grey's Anatomy and cry into a pint of ice-cream I got earlier :)


	12. Put a Ring On It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay soooo I hardly proof-read because idec anymore sooooo hERE YA GO KIDS, PROBABLY QUITE A FEW TYPOS, DON'T JUDGE ME!!! Enjoy ;)

_ Chapter 12 _

_Eren’s POV._

My stomach curled as I vomited into the toilet, hopefully for the final time. I twisted the new ring on my finger as a distraction from the sickening feeling, and the violent taste of alcohol on my tongue and the burning in my throat as I threw up the remainder of what I’d drank last night. It tasted like bad vodka.

“Here, baby,” I felt Levi drape something soft over my shoulders, then process to help me push my arms through the sleeves. It was one of his white button-ups. He knew how much I loved his button-up shirts. He rubbed my back soothingly, but kept his distance, and I was admittedly a little grateful for the space. I was sure I looked the absolute opposite of attractive with my head in the toilet bowl, and I probably smelled. “Best to get it all out now.”

Finally, it stopped and I breathed in and out heavily. Puking was exhausting. “Levi. Could you please get me some water or something?”

“Of course. I’ll try to find some Advil, too.”

I rested my forehead on the toilet bowl. Not very sanitary, I know, but I didn’t trust myself to stand just yet. The ring on my finger looked extra shiny in the bathroom lighting, but my vision begun to sting with fresh tears. It was the biggest diamond I’d ever seen probably in my entire life. How much had he spent on this single ring? Which one of us had the wonderful idea of getting _married?_

I wiped away the few stray tears sliding down my colorless cheeks and stood on shaking legs, forcing myself to walk to the sink to brush my teeth and rid my mouth of the horrid taste. Levi came back a few minutes later wearing a pair of sweatpants low on his hips, a bottle of water in one hand and two small pills in the other. I mumbled a small, “thank you” under my breath.

There was a moment of silence that was somewhere between comfortable and awkward. Awkward because we didn’t know how to talk about this, but comfortable because we are comfortable with each other these days. But still, I could hardly remember a single thing after probably my millionth shot of whatever-the-fuck I was throwing back. How were we suppose to talk about something as big as marriage when we weren’t even at that point in our relationship?

We’d only just gotten to the I-wanna-fuck-you-all-the-time stage. Marriage was way, _way_ past that.

“Are you okay?” I finally asked. He’d been taking care of me from the moment we woke up. I hadn’t even thought to ask how _he_ was feeling. It wasn’t even ten in the morning and I was already kicking myself for the day.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” He sighed, bringing his hand to rest on the back of my neck and massaging gently. “I’m more worried about you. I hate seeing you feel bad. The last thing I wanted was to put any kind of pressure on you.”

“I know,” I moved closer, bringing my arms around his waist. “I don’t feel pressured…I’m just struggling to remember what even happened. And I don’t want this to ruin us.”

“Hey,” He pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “I’m not gonna let this ruin us. It’s just a ring, and some papers. If you want, we can get an annulment.”

“That would be…wait,” I moved away from him, eyes narrowed. “‘If I want’?”

“Well, yeah. What’s wrong?”

“You said if I want. It just sounds like you’re saying _you_ don’t want to. But getting an annulment would be the obvious decision here.”

Levi sighed. “Honey, I was just saying…look, I wouldn’t _mind_ if you wanted to stay married. So it’s up to you.”

I opened my mouth to reply, but just then there was a knock on the door, and Levi moved past me to answer. My jaw dropped open. What the hell was _that?_

I followed after him, decidedly not caring that Mikasa, Erwin and Hanji all piled in looking exhausted and hung over. Exactly how I felt. It was only then that I noticed Hanji holding a large chicken costume. “Anyone know why I woke up wearing this?”

“Levi,” I ignored Hanji. “What the hell are you saying?”

He sighed again, eyeing the other three warily. Sure, talking about our unexpected marriage in front of our friends might not’ve been the best way to talk about this, but we needed to talk about it _now_. “Eren, I want whatever you want.”

“But it sounds like you want to stay married. We’re not ready for marriage, Levi. We just started dating.”

“WHOA!” Hanji yelped. Her eyes widened to the size of saucers. “How long was I out?!”

“Hanji, shut up,” Levi growled, before turning his eyes back to me calmly. “Baby, why are we fighting about this? We’ll get an annulment as soon as we get home if that’s what you want.”

“There it is again,” I threw my arms up in the air dramatically. “You’re saying ‘if that’s what you want.’ But just tell me what _you_ want, Levi. I don’t wanna force you to get an annulment if you’re like, against it.”

“And you think I wanna force you to stay married when you’re against _that?_ ”

“Why can’t you just tell me honestly what you’re feeling right now?!”

“Okay, fine,” He snapped, jaw locking and nostrils flaring. “You wanna know what I’m feeling? I’ll tell you exactly what it is that I’m feeling, Eren. I don’t think this is such a bad thing. I certainly didn’t feel sick about it, anyways.”

Tears welled up in my eyes. “I wasn’t sick because of _this_ , you know that—“

“I am falling in love with you, Eren,” My jaw practically came unhinged and hit the ground. Shocked gasps emitted from our three friends off to the side, and it wasn’t until that moment that I even remembered they were there in the first place. For the first time since I’d met them, they’d all been relatively silent. “So no, I don’t think us getting married is so awful. I am nuts about you, and I want to take care of you. I wanna give you the world. And if giving you the world means giving you an annulment, then so be it. So yes, sweetheart, we do whatever _you_ want.”

I felt like I was choking. I could feel my heartbeat raging against my ribcage as though it were trying to jump right out of my chest and into the hands of the man in front of me. My palms were sweating from the panic swelling within me. How was I suppose to respond? His confession changed everything in a span of like, three seconds.

“But,” I sobbed unexpectedly, my head dropping into my hands to muffle the sound. “I-I don’t even remember our own w-wedding!”

“Awe,” Hanji and Mikasa cooed in unison. “Eren…”

“Wouldn’t you wanna…” I sniffled, just as I felt strong arms wrap around my shoulders. “…remember it?”

“Of course,” He whispered, kissing my closed eyelids gently. “Of course I want to remember it. It’s suppose to be special. I’m sorry, Eren, I wasn’t thinking of it that way.”

“Wow,” I heard Erwin whisper. “You guys seriously destroyed this place.”

Levi sighed, turning towards them with a glare. “Can you guys please give us a minute?”

“Oh, yeah,” They nodded, shoving each other to move out of the way to make it to the other side of the room. “We’ll just wait in the bathroom.”

“Come here, come sit with me,” Levi walked towards the couch, pushing it upright with one hand, holding onto mine with the other, as though I’d try to run away from him. He sat down and patted his lap, and I didn’t hesitate to straddle his thighs and make myself comfortable against his chest. His large hands ran soothingly up and down my back.

I whispered against his neck quietly. “You’re really falling in love with me?”

“Well I said it, didn’t I?”

I sighed. “That’s scary.”

He turned his head to look down at me, eyebrows furrowed. “Scary? You don’t want me to be in love with you?”

“Oh, no, it’s not that,” I shook my head immediately, lifting up to look at him properly. I definitely didn’t want him to get the wrong idea. There was no doubt that I loved the idea of him being in love with me. But it was still scary for some reason. It was indescribable. Scary, but…good scary, almost. Like the drop of a rollercoaster. Falling in love with him kind of felt like the big drop of a rollercoaster. “I think…I mean, I feel the same way. It’s just scary because…I’m kinda scared I guess.”

“Scared of me?”

“Not of _you,_ ” Frustration was building. I didn’t think it’d be this hard to get my feelings across. “Just scared to give myself to you…but it’s a little late for that, I guess. I just still have a hard time.”

“Hard time…” Levi frowned. “A hard time trusting me?”

“I guess. I’m sorry. I know that’s silly.”

Levi pressed a kiss to my jaw just as I looked away. “You’re not silly for feeling the way you feel. I understand. But I don’t want you to feel that way with me. I can’t force you to trust me, all I can do is tell you that I would never intentionally hurt you, not in a million years, Eren.”

“Okay,” I nodded, biting down on my bottom lip. “But…we can fall in love without being married. It just feels too soon to talk about weddings and stuff. But if we ever did get married, I want to be able to remember it.”

Levi grinned, wide and teasing. “I kinda remember the honeymoon.”

I giggled. “Yeah? What do you remember? Maybe you could help spark my memory.”

“Well I vividly remember pounding into you in front of that window over there—“

The bathroom door slammed open and Mikasa came out with wide eyes, all of the color draining from her face. “Okay! Enough of that!”

I giggled into Levi’s shoulder just as everyone else began laughing loudly, without restraint. Mikasa glared playfully, flipping us off from across the room, which only made us laugh harder.

***

Thankfully, Hanji didn’t hold us back much when it came to leaving Vegas. After apparently waking up hungover in a giant chicken costume that she said smelled like cat piss (and still not knowing how she ended up in the costume in the first place) she seemed more eager than any of us to leave Vegas behind. I was sure, once we were back on Levi’s private jet to New York, we would’ve all liked to agree with the saying, “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” but that’s a lie. I was still going home with a ring on my finger, and Hanji was still going home smelling mildly like cat piss.

Not to mention, we were all short at least a few thousand dollars with the exception of Levi, who was short of much more than only a few thousand considering how much my wedding ring costed him. He still refused to tell me how much.

Levi sighed tiredly, his finger caressing my arm absentmindedly as the jet began to descend back towards the ground after a long flight, mostly spent in silence. “You’re still wearing the ring.”

“You’re still wearing yours.”

“You don’t have to wear it if you don’t want to, Eren.”

I smiled gently, leaning forward to press an appreciative kiss to his cheek. “I know. But you insisted that you didn’t want it back, so…I’ll just take it off when I get home. I don’t want to lose it. It looks extremely expensive.”

Levi was silent for a long moment—so long that I thought the conversation was over. Another five minutes passed in comfortable silence before he opened his mouth again. “Maybe…if we got married in the future…we could just use the same rings?”

I nodded. “Yeah. That would make sense.”

He nodded back in agreement. “Okay. Sorry, I know you don’t want to talk about marriage—“

“I don’t,” I said quickly. A little too quickly if I had to guess, because Levi slammed his mouth shut and adverted his gaze away. “Levi, please don’t push me away. Please understand why this is scary for me. It took every ounce of courage I had just to admit that I’m kind of starting to love you, and—“

“Eren, sweetheart,” His fingers grasped my chin, forcing me to look at him. I sighed in relief when I saw his eyes. They were soft, and kind. Well, as kind as Levi could really look anyways. It was still Levi, after all. His eyes were always cold at this most basic level, but he was understanding when it mattered most. It was one of my favorite things about him. He was always capable of thinking clearly and responding to my emotions correctly, always making me feel safe and comfortable. “You don’t have to explain yourself to me. I understand.”

I smiled, a relieved breath passing through my lips instantly, and I smashed my lips against his, unable to fight my smile. “You’re the best. You’re amazing. I can’t believe how lucky I am.”

“I’m the lucky one, brat,” Levi mumbled through my relentless kisses, chuckling softly. His fingers slid into my air, pulling gently, and I cursed. He knew just what I loved. He knew exactly how to make me gasp and beg, knew exactly what would have me babbling on about how badly I wanted him. In a single weekend, he’d found every single weakness that I didn’t even know I had. “I’ll show you just how lucky I feel when we get home.”

My eyes rolled back into my head the second his lips found my jawline, and I squeaked. Surely to God everyone on this plane could hear us on the verge of fucking right here in these leather airplane seats. “W-Wait, no, stop.”

“Stop? What’s wrong?”

“No sex.”

Levi raised an eyebrow. “No—sorry, what?”

I pushed him away gently, my hands on his chest to keep him at a safe distance. But who was I kidding? We could’ve been on opposite sides of the country and I still wouldn’t trust myself to keep my hands off of him. “I kinda…I’m sort of in a little bit of pain right now…”

Levi’s eyes widened. “Pain? Baby, did I hurt you? Why didn’t you say so?”

“I did this morning. I told you my butt kinda hurt. It’s not a big deal, it’ll go away in a couple of days.” By the look on his face, he still wasn’t convinced. In fact, he looked more upset than I’d probably ever seen him. I couldn’t help but to snort in amusement. “Levi, don’t look at me like that. It’s not like you raped me. We were drunk, neither of us were thinking coherently, we probably just didn’t prep enough. I’m okay, babe, I swear. My butt just needs a break.”

“We are never having drunk sex again, Eren. I mean it.”

“Awe,” I laughed, leaning up to press a kiss to his cheek. He was really the only one taking this so seriously. It was actually kinda cute. “You’re so sweet to me.”

He rolled his eyes playfully, ruffling my already messy hair. “And you’re a brat.”

I was mentally and physically exhausted by the time we landed and we all piled into the car. Unlike the car we’d been dropped off in, this car was bigger and everyone had their own seat, which was good because everyone seemed ready to sprawl out after sitting on a private jet for almost six hours. I was ready to get my dog from Connie’s, and go home and sleep in my bed for a small eternity.

As though reading my mind, Levi leaned towards me to press a kiss to my temple and whisper softly in my ear. “You going home tonight?”

“Yeah, I should,” I whispered in reply. “I’m closer to Connie’s place and I’m exhausted.”

“I don’t mind grabbing Titan for you if you need me to.”

I shook my head, smiling softly. “No, it’s okay. You dropped him off, I’ll pick him up. But you’re more than welcome to take him with you tomorrow. He likes going to the gym with you.”

“Well I like bringing him to the gym with me.”

I giggled. “I think you only like me for my dog.”

“And I think you only like me for my—“

“Please,” Erwin said lowly from the front seat, his head leaned back against the headrest in exasperation. “For the love of all that is good in the world, don’t finish that sentence. Have mercy on those of us in this car who have not been having sexual relations. If you care for any of us in the slightest, do not finish that sentence.”

I giggled uncontrollably into Levi’s broad shoulder, my cheeks burning. “Sorry, Erwin.”

***

I woke up the next morning to my phone ringing on my bedside table. Titan was curled in a ball at the foot of my bed, snoring. I’d crashed the moment Titan and I got through the door of my apartment the previous night, only staying awake long enough to change into a clean pair of underwear and one of Levi’s t-shirts I’d secretly packed into my suitcase. He wouldn’t miss it, it was just a plain black t-shirt, but I liked it because it smelled like him.

“Hello?” I mumbled groggily, fumbling to answer my phone.

“It occurred to me that I’ve never taken you on a proper date,” I smiled at Levi’s voice, rolling over onto my back. “And you deserve to be taken on an amazing date.”

I hummed. “You’ve taken me to lunch and stuff.”

“No, no. Those don’t count, they weren’t good enough. I want to take you somewhere nice.”

I giggled. “I don’t need nice, I just want you.”

“You have me. But that’s not the point. The point is, I want to treat you like the perfect boy you are, which means I’m taking you somewhere nice. Is that okay with you?”

I bit my lip to hide my laughter. “Of course. Just as long as I get the full treatment. I want the full package, and I’ll be very disappointed if you don’t make love to me at the end of the night.”

There was a low growl on the other end, and my thighs clenched. Was I really about to get horny while on the phone with him? “What kind of boyfriend do you think I am, darling? You should know by now, I aim to please.”

“Well you never fail to please me. You always leave me more than satisfied.”

I waited for his response, but for a long moment, there was only a hissed curse and a some heavy panting. Then, in a deep voice that I recognized as his ‘sex voice’ he said, “Tell me what you’re wearing, baby.”

I gasped. Oh, shit, we were doing this. Okay. Phone sex was new territory, but not unwanted. I was more than happy to oblige him. Hell, I was more than happy to do anything he wanted. “One of your t-shirts.”

He chuckled darkly. “How’d you get my t-shirt?”

I could feel myself blushing all over—my neck, my cheeks, my chest. “I kind of stole it.”

“Kind of? Such a bad boy. You should be ashamed of yourself.”

How the hell was I gasping for air and he wasn’t even here touching me? I had went from five years of shitty sex, to this. And this was good—amazing, actually. I’d apparently been missing out on a lot all those years. I let out a breathy moan. “I’m so sorry, Daddy. It just smells so good—it smells like you. I couldn’t resist.”

He hummed, and I could almost hear the smirk on the other end. “I can’t stay mad at you. You’re such a sweetheart. What are you thinking about, baby?”

“You,” I whispered, my back arching off of the bed. I wasn’t even touching myself and I was hard as a rock—simply from his voice. “Thinking about how good you eat me out—“ A knock on the door made my eyes widen. “—shit. Levi, someone’s here. I’ve gotta go.”

“Fuck. Alright, I’ll call you in a little while.”

“Okay, bye.” I hung up quickly, reaching down for my sweatpants on the floor and pulling them on. Titan was already up and out the door, barking as though someone were going to come inside and shoot us. “One second! Coming!”

Slightly out of breath, I swung the door open. I was met with a familiar smile—a smile that looked like mine. “Eren.”

My brain went numb, but luckily, my mouth was able to form words despite being so dry I could spit fucking cotton. “Mom.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uGH POWER FUCKING COUPLE AMIRIGHT AMIRIGHT I meannnnnn thESE TWOOOOO r marriage material because tHEY WORK SO WELL TOGETHER aNd I'm obsessed and I'm the one who writes them which is probably why I'm obsessed but I mean coME ON. they're adorable!!!!  
> aaanddddddd kinda sorry for the cliff-hanger but not really ooppssss ;)


	13. Oh, Mother!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm SOO sorry it's been so long, and I am SO sorry that this chapter is going to be so short :( You guys deserve a very, very long chapter considering how long I've taken, and I am ashamed. I've had a HUGE case of writer's block, and I can't seem to get out of the rut. I'm hoping I'll push past it and the next chapter will be longer. Anyways, despite all of that, I hope you enjoy!

_ Chapter 13 _

“Mom,” I whispered. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to see you,” She sounded nervous, which wasn’t a surprise. We hadn’t spoken in almost three months. It was weird seeing her standing in my doorway, just like it was probably weird to see me standing in my very own doorway. “Can I come in?”

“Oh, um,” I opened the door wider, nodding hesitantly. Titan sniffed at her excitedly, tail wagging frantically. Titan had met my Mom on various occasions, and loved her. My Mom loved dogs, and was constantly begging my Dad for one, but he always refused. “Yeah, sure.”

“Oh, it’s so cute,” She gushed, stepping inside. “You know, I had curtains just like that when I had my very first apartment. Except I only stayed there for a couple of months because I had cockroaches and they were everywhere. _Ick!_ It was so gross. I think I left everything behind and went to live with my parents again. Your grandpa never let me live it down.”

I laughed awkwardly. “Yeah, sounds like him.”

She plopped down on the couch and made herself at home. A very Carla-like thing to do. Not that it bothered me. “You’ve really made a switch, sweetheart. Seems like…” Her voice cracked and I froze instantly. Uh-oh. Waterworks. “…you really don’t need me and your Father anymore.”

I sighed, sitting down on the opposite side of the couch, away from her. “Well, you guys kicked me out. Had to figure it out one way or another. I’m doing well, I have money, I have friends…I’ve grown up, I guess.”

She nodded, a tear leaking from the corner of her eye. Eyes shaped like mine, but a different color, less expressive. “You were always ambitious. I always knew you could go far.”

“Then why are you crying? And why are you here?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” She sniffled, wiping at her cheeks. “I just wanted to see you. I wanted to see what you’d done with your life. In such a short amount of time, you’ve…really outgrown the boy you used to be.”

I frowned, chewing at the inside of my cheek nervously. A bad habit I’d always had. “Does Dad know you’re here?”

“Heavens, no. He’d have a fit. He goes on and on—he thinks you must live in a dump working the streets. He’d shit golden rocks if he saw how wonderful this place is. You either have a very good paying job or a rich man at your side.”

She was right on both accounts, but I couldn’t bring myself to say that. The last thing I needed was for my mother to know about Levi.

A sharp gasp rattled her chest. “Is that a wedding ring?! Eren Jaeger, you got married without telling me?!”

Fuck. Fuck, fuck. I’d forgotten to take the ring off in my hurry to climb into bed the night before. I hadn’t even thought about it. It’d slipped my mind entirely, which seemed impossible. The ring was big and heavy. Too big to simply go unnoticed.

“Um,” I cleared my throat. “Kind of.”

“Kind of? You better have a good excuse for not telling me, young man. I should’ve been there—you’re my son. Who’d you marry anyways?!”

“Um—“ It was in that exact moment that an unexpected knock sounded at the door, and I wanted the couch to simply open and swallow me up into an endless abyss. I couldn’t stand the thought of another unwanted visitor, and especially not while my Mother was here. But still, for the moment, I was grateful for the distraction. It gave me a moment to leave her question unanswered. “One second.”

“Were you expecting someone?”

“No.”

I swung the door open and my heart skipped a beat despite myself. Levi was leaning against the doorframe, a familiar look in his eye that I like to call I’m-Gonna-Fuck-You-Right-Here-Against-The-Wall-While-You-Scream-My-Name. Unfortunately for us both, that wasn’t going to happen. And he must’ve known by the look on my face, because his eyes narrowed in concern. “Baby, what’s wrong?”

“You must be him,” A voice said behind me. “I take it from the ring on your finger and your desire for pet names that you’re the one who married my son without my blessing?”

Levi’s eyebrows raised in surprise, but I said nothing. My voice was stuck deep in my throat. I was mortified. But fortunately, Levi was quick. “You must be Eren’s Mother.”

Mom did absolutely nothing to hide her distaste. “I am.”

Levi reached his hand in to shake my Mother’s, stepping through the threshold and closing the door behind him whilst I did nothing but watch on awkwardly. “Well I can certainly see where all of Eren’s beauty comes from. My name is Levi Ackerman.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Levi Ackerman…the name is familiar. My name is Carla—I assume Eren hasn’t told you much about his family.”

“I’m a UFC fighter, if that helps to ring any bells.” I was eternally grateful that Levi decided against responding to my Mother’s snide comment against me.

Her face seemed to relax. As though she were half expecting to have seen him on the news for being a serial killer. “Ah, I see…yes, I’ve seen you on the line.”

I sighed. “Online, Mom.”

“Mrs. Jaeger, I would like to apologize for any inconvenience I’ve caused you by marrying your son. Ordinarily, I would have never thought of proposing without your blessing, but I’m afraid I wasn’t exactly in my right state of mind.”

_Oh, Jesus…just take me now. Take me away. Why the hell did he have to say that?!_

It seemed to take my Mother a long moment to understand. But it seemed to dawn on her well enough, and just when I thought she might slap me, she began to burst into a fit of laughter, giggles and snorting. “Oh, I see! Oh, how funny. Oh, dear sweet Jesus…Oh, Eren, that’s _so_ like you.”

“I…what? You’re not angry?”

“Oh, Heavens, no,” She snorted again. “I was much more furious when I thought there’d been a wedding and I’d been left out of it. This makes me feel so much better!”

“Oh,” I gulped. This was weird. This must’ve been a strange, horrendous dream. “Alright…well, Mom. Levi is my boyfriend.”

“Boyfriend? Dear, you mean husband.”

“Well,” I awkwardly cracked my knuckles as a nervous habit. “We’re not…we’re not staying married, Mom. It’s too soon.”

“Oh, you’re…well why the hell would you do that? Why not see if it works?”

“Because I can’t even remember my own wedding, _Mother,”_ my voice cracked, full of emotion. “Why the hell does no one get that?!”

“Oh, honey, calm down. I can’t remember my wedding either. Or the honeymoon, quite frankly.”

I made a disgusted face. “Ew, Mom.”

“Well come, Levi, come sit with me and let me get to know you. Can I get you anything, Sweetheart?”

I stood, awestruck. How had things changed so quickly? Things had turned from hostile to loving within a matter of moments. She was calling my boyfriend _sweetheart_ and offering him things in _my_ apartment.

“Eren,” I had failed to realize that Levi and my Mom were already seated in the living room. My Mother was looking at me expectantly. “Are you coming?”

“Oh,” I walked slowly towards them, “Yeah…”

I took a seat next to Levi, across from my Mom, and cuddled close into his warm side for comfort, pulling my legs up into my chest. Levi gave me a warm look (y’know, warm for Levi), and grabbed ahold of my hand, kissing my knuckles. The corner of my mouth tweaked into a mostly uncomfortable smile.

“So, Levi, tell me about yourself…”

I spent thirty-five agonizing minutes watching my Mom and my boyfriend get along. Which shouldn’t be agonizing, but this just meant that my Mother would be around a lot more often. Around, choking me with her love and smothering Levi and I with her presence. Which probably wouldn’t bother Levi, knowing him, but it would most certainly bother me.

But finally, after what felt like an eternity, my Mother lifted herself from my chair, grabbed her purse, kissed me on both cheeks like some sort of lovely french woman, bid us farewell, and promised to see us soon. Sadly, I had no choice but to believe her. She was her after all.

“I am so sorry, baby,” I wrapped my arms around Levi’s neck, straddling his lap. Out of habit, large hands massaged my hips. “I had no idea she’d show up. I don’t even understand how she found me.”

He chuckled. “No need for apologies. She’s your Mother, of course she was going to find you. She seems lovely.”

I snuggled in closer to him, breathing in his familiar, comforting scent. “You’re so good to me. I can’t believe how lucky I am to have you.”

He pulled us both so that we were laying on our sides, facing each other, and his nose nudged against mine affectionately. It was silent for a long moment, the only sound being our breathing, Titan’s snoring, and the sound of my calm heartbeat in my ears. “Give me the ring, Eren.”

My brows furrowed. “W-What?”

“Give me the ring,” I didn’t hesitate to reach my hand out and allow him to pull the diamond off my finger. “I love seeing this ring on your finger and knowing you’re mine. I love the idea of everyone seeing it, knowing you’re taken, knowing they can’t have you. But you don’t want to be married right now, and I respect that. I respect you. So I’m taking it back, until I think you’re ready, and then I’ll place it back on your finger.”

Tears spilled over my eyes without warning and I let out an uncontrollable sob. “God, you idiot—why the fuck do you always have to be so wonderful?! Do something wrong for once.”

Levi laughed, putting the ring in his pocket before cupping my cheek and placing a kiss on my forehead, then my nose, and finally my lips. “I’m sure the day will come that I’ll do something wrong, Eren, but let’s not hurry it along. I kind of like knowing I’m treating you right.”

I hummed, snuggling impossibly closer. “You always treat me right.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that, despite how shitty and short and terrible this chapter is, you can forgive me and like it anyways lolololol. I am, again, SO TERRIBLY SORRY FOR HOW LONG I'VE TAKEN AND I COULDN'T EVEN GIVE YOU GUYS A PROPER CHAPTER UGH I HATE MYSELF NGJEGKERGNEJRHGEKRGJNREKGENGEUK :(


	15. PLEASE PLEASE READ !!!!!!

HELLO!

Please bear with me on this one.

So, obviously I haven't updated in a while. I was in the hospital, therapy, behavioral therapy, yada yada. And now I'm in school!

HOWEVER, starting in NOVEMBER I won't have as much homework (I don't think) andddd while I MAY be able to update this one, I'm not sure. IDK WHAT ELSE TO DO W IT??? LIKE IDK VRKJHGEEKIE PLEASE DON'T BE MAD AT ME.

ANYWHOO

I do have a short-ish story idea I've been working on. One where the plot is already thought out, pre-meditated, and I think I'll be able to work through it smoothly. BUT you may have to wait till November before I post it, and when I do post it, I will update on this story to let you know that I have!

For now, consider this story officially on...*sniffles* Hiatus....

pLEASE PLEASE forgive me, life got rough and now I just dunno what to do with this damn story and ughhh idk. it wasn't well thought out from the beginning, I keep just flinging myself into stories and?? I gotta quit doing that shit, so for this next short-ish story, I'll be thinking it through much, much more so that this hopefully won't happen again. 

I love and adore you and I hope you'll all read my next story :')

<3


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